Welcome to New York
by Brinchen86
Summary: When Lindsay moves to New York, one of her biggest dreams comes true. But how will she handle her new life in the huge city?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:**** When Lindsay moves to New York, one of her biggest dreams comes true. But how will she handle her new life in the huge city? And how will she get along with her new job and her new colleagues?**

**Author's note:**** This story will be about Lindsay and about her life in New York. There'll be DL later.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own anyone or anything.**

**Categories:**** General/Romance**

**Rating:**** T**

When Lindsay Monroe entered the locker room of the New York Crime Lab, it was already far after midnight. She was incredibly exhausted. Not only that she had just arrived from Montana early in the morning. No, she had instantly been called to a crime scene.

Yes, Lindsay's first day in New York had been hard. But while opening her locker to grab her jacket, she couldn't help but smile happily. How many times had she dreamt about that? Since she had been a child, her dream had always been to come to New York some day.

And now she was working in this huge city, the city of her dreams. When Lindsay had realized which chance she had gotten, she hadn't been able to believe it. Everything was so exciting- she'd leave the crime lab in Montana, where she had worked for three years now, and would start working with completely different people, in a completely new area. For a woman like her, who had grown up in the country, who had lived in a small town, moving to a city like this was an incredible adventure.

The last few days had been full of stress, and Lindsay couldn't deny that she had been glad about that. She hadn't had time to think about getting homesick, or nervous. But then the day had come. The day when she had gone to the airport. And the moment when she had entered the plane.

Everything had been okay. Until the moment she had sat down in her seat and the plane had taken off. This was the moment when Lindsay finally had had time to think. And when she had realized what she was actually doing. Was she really just on her way to New York City? Where she'd work from now on, where she had already rented a small apartment? Where she'd live from now on?

The realization of what she actually had known the whole time had hit her with such a force that she could feel a slight fear rising inside her. Her entire life would change now. She'd live far away from home, and she'd meet so many new people, people who were strangers. What was awaiting her? Lindsay desperately had wished to have a look into her future now. How would she handle living in such a huge city? And how would she get along with her new co-workers? All these questions had been spinning through her mind. Yes, this had been the moment when she had really gotten nervous.

But to her surprise, her first day had been much better than she had ever expected. Lindsay's heart had beaten so fast that she had thought she'd have a heart attack every moment when she had been told that she had to meet her new boss at the crime scene, not even an hour after her arrival. She had needed her whole willpower to prevent her voice from shaking when she had joined him in the tiger cage. Not because of the tiger, but because she didn't want to behave like a complete full idiot on her first day.

But as much as she had tried to control the situation, there anyway had been an embarrassing moment. And it hadn't even been her own fault. No, it had been because of one of her new co-workers, Danny Messer.

When she remembered their first meeting in the zoo, Lindsay couldn't help but blush lightly. He had played a trick on her with telling her that she had to call Mac Taylor 'sir'. What she had done. And what had been wrong she had learnt when he had told her to stop doing that. Actually she would have expected that she'd be mad at Danny for teasing her on her first day. But she wasn't. No, instead of that she had to admit that there was something at this guy that had caught her interest. Although she wasn't really sure what this was.

And actually she couldn't complain. Lindsay already knew why she had gotten this new job. Because the woman who had had her job before, had been fired. And she knew that she had been one of Danny's best friends. So was it a surprise that he had teased her, the new girl? Was there even any chance that he could like her after she had practically replaced his friend? She didn't think so.

But at this moment, it didn't really matter for her. Although she had loved her first day at work, Lindsay was tired, and all she wanted was getting home. After finally grabbing her jacket and her bag, she closed her locker again. Still deep in her thoughts, she turned around to head to the door, but almost got a shock when she realized that she suddenly wasn't alone in the locker room anymore. As if he had felt that she had thought about him, Danny was standing at the end of the row of lockers, looking at her.

"Hey," he greeted her. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to scare you."

"Oh, you didn't," Lindsay lied, trying to grin. "I was…just on my way home."

"I see," he replied, his eyes still focused on her. "So, how was your first day here?"

"It was good. Long and exhausting, but good. I'm glad I can go home now. It's just…" Lindsay stopped before she could speak out what she wanted to say. No, this was stupid.

"What?" he asked, and from the tone in his voice Lindsay could tell that he wouldn't let her go until she had answered.

Lindsay sighed lightly. Was there any need to lie? If he thought she was stupid, okay. Then he anyway wasn't worth wasting her time.

"Well, I just want to go home," she finally answered. "But the problem is…actually I don't really know how to go there…"

Danny raised his eyebrows at her. "What do you mean with that?"

Lindsay noticed that she was blushing again. But now it was too late to get out of this.

"When I arrived in the morning, I…I had been told to immediately go to the crime scene at the zoo. A cab had taken me to the lab, and I…was too excited to pay any attention to the way. And…from the zoo we directly went to the crime lab. And now…I don't know how to get home. Of course I could take a cab, but I had to hurry this morning and I didn't take enough money with me. And taking the subway…well, I don't know…"

She looked at Danny to wait for his reaction and felt nervous when he just stared at her for a while. But when he then burst out in laughter, she couldn't help but laugh as well.

"I'm sorry," he managed to say after what had to be at least a minute. "But this is really…too funny."

"Yeah, I know, it's stupid," she replied quietly.

Why hadn't she studied a map when she had decided to rent the apartment? Why hadn't she at least looked up the way from the crime lab to her new home? Maybe because she had had too much stress to think about simple things like this. And on her way to the apartment from the airport, from the apartment to the lab and later to the zoo she had taken a cab. If she had just taken enough money with her…

"No, that's not stupid," Danny then replied to her surprise. "I'm sure, you had much better things to do during the last time than thinking about any possible ways to your new apartment."

Lindsay nodded in agreement. "Yes. But…I think I'll go now. I'll find a way to go home."

"And how?" Danny asked back, stepping in front of her when she tried to pass him. "Do you want to walk? Or do you want to take the subway, without even knowing where to go to?"

"As I said, I'll find a way," Lindsay replied, shuddering lightly when she noticed how close he stood in front of her.

"Oh, no, I can't let you do that," he contradicted. "This is New York, okay? I have no idea how big your home town is, but I'm sure not as big as this city here. And I'm also sure not as dangerous."

Now it was Lindsay who raised her eyebrows at him. "So you mean I should sleep here or what?"

Again he laughed. "No, of course not. I'll take you home. Just tell me your address, I'll drive you home."

Lindsay couldn't help but just stare at him for a moment. Did he just suggest to take her home? Was this really happening?

"Oh…you don't have to…" she stammered.

"But I want to. And I will. No contradicting," he answered, grinning at her; a grin that she couldn't say no to.

And so, a few minutes later, Lindsay was sitting on the passenger's seat, next to Danny, who indeed was driving her home. The first minutes she had tried to look out of her window. But she had caught herself more than once by letting her eyes wander over to him. After tearing her eyes away from him several times but not being really successful with it, she decided to stop fighting this.

What was wrong with looking at him? She had met several of her new co-workers at her first day. And unfortunately she hadn't had much time to talk to them or to get to know them better. She had spent almost the whole time with working together with Mac, although she had to admit that she still didn't know anything about him. This man was just mysterious. She had also worked together with Danny, but not much.

But now she had the chance to at least look at him. And she couldn't deny that the man next to her was pretty handsome. But it wasn't just that. He had something that always caught her attention, whenever she looked at him, and she still had not the slightest idea what this could be. But he was interesting, that was for sure.

"Can I do something for you?" Danny voice suddenly interrupted her in her thoughts.

"Uh, no...I was just..." she stammered, hating herself for behaving like this. What was she? A little girl?

"Was a hard day, huh?" Danny asked, ignoring her insecurity. "I heard about you tackling down a suspect."

Lindsay chuckled. Yes, she had done that. To her own surprise. She had reacted spontaneous, and it hadn't been her intention to impress her boss. But she had done it, and she couldn't deny that this was a good thing.

"Well, I just did what I had to do," she then answered, causing him to laugh.

"Oh, you did," he answered.

They continued talking for the rest of the way. Lindsay's first insecurity had disappeared again and she quickly realized that Danny was a good talking partner. And a funny one as well.

A few minutes later, they finally reached Lindsay's apartment building, and she caught herself by being a bit disappointed by that.

"Here we are," Danny said after parking the car.

Lindsay nodded. "Yes. Thank you so much for taking me home. This was really nice."

"You're more than welcome," he replied. "When do you have to be at work tomorrow?"

"9 am," Lindsay answered. And as much as she wanted to just go on with talking to him, she decided that it was about time to go now. "So, again thank you. Have a good night." With that she opened the door and stepped out onto the street.

"Have a good night, too...Montana," he said, grinning at her.

Usually Lindsay would have commented something, but this time she couldn't help but just grin back. She closed the door again and headed to the front door of her apartment building. She could clearly feel his eyes resting on her, and she was glad when she finally had entered the building. She quickly rushed upstairs, luckily knowing on which floor her apartment was. In record time she entered her small one room apartment. And, to satisfy her curiosity, she went over to the large window behind her bed.

The moment Lindsay looked out of the window, she saw how Danny started his car again and left his former parking lot. She watched his car until it left her eyesight. Then she moved away from the window again and just let herself fall across the bed. She lay like this for a while, staring at the ceiling. A huge grin was plastered on her face the whole time. It had been a great first day. And while her thoughts drifted away to Danny again, she was pretty sure that she'd have a lot of fun in the city of her dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing and thanks for adding the story to your favourites and alerts!**

The next morning Lindsay was woken up by the very annoying sound of her alarm clock. She tried to ignore the nagging sound, just to notice that it became even louder with every second.

"Shut up," she mumbled and reached her hand to where she expected the alarm clock to be. With one quick motion she stopped the alarm, pulling her arm back under her blanket. With her mind dizzy by her tiredness, she needed a moment to remember that the bed she was lying in, wasn't her old one from Montana. Right, she wasn't even in Bozeman anymore. She was in her new apartment. In New York.

She carefully peeked over the edge of the blanket to look at the alarm clock. 7 am. She had to get up. With a groan Lindsay pushed her blanket away, shuddering lightly when she was exposed to the cool air in her room. With a huge yawn, she finally managed to stand up, shuddering again when her bare feet got in contact with the laminated ground.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Lindsay slowly walked over into the kitchen. She needed a coffee, as fast as possible. Usually she wasn't that tired in the morning, no matter when she stood up. But the day before had affected her a lot. She still was a bit jetlagged and her first shift at the New York Crime Lab had been a very long one. And after Danny had taken her home, she had needed another hour until she could finally fall asleep.

When she remembered the night before, Lindsay couldn't help but grin. When her shift had ended, she had been so tired that she had needed her whole willpower to keep her eyes open. She had even avoided sitting down, afraid that she could instantly fall asleep.

But then Danny had suggested to take her home. First she had been a bit afraid that he was just kidding her. She knew that this behaviour was stupid. But one of her habits was doubting. Everything. She hadn't always done this, but somewhere along the line she had started to believe that people were able to do a lot, and that she needed time until she'd just believe what people were telling her. And, because she still hadn't been sure what Danny was thinking about her, the successor of his friend, she had been afraid that he'd play a trick on her again. But he hadn't. He indeed had taken her home, and to her surprise, they had had a nice little conversation.

When Lindsay then was back in her apartment, she suddenly had been fully awake again. She didn't know why, but she couldn't get her new co-worker out of her mind. He had something. And as much as she had tried to figure it out, it was still a mystery to her. She assumed that it must have had to do with his expression. There was something surrounding this man that had an incredibly strong force of attraction on her. After spending an entire hour with thinking about him, Lindsay still wasn't sure how to judge him. But one thing was clear to her; working together with him would be fun.

After Lindsay had drunk her coffee, feeling much better and fitter after that, she headed to her bathroom to have a shower. But before she even reached the door, she was interrupted by the ringing of her doorbell.

Confused she turned around. Who could be that? Who was ringing her doorbell at not even 8 am? She wasn't awaiting anyone. For a brief moment she thought about just ignoring it, but then she changed her opinion again. Maybe it was important.

When the doorbell rang again, she quickly rushed over to the door.

"Who's there?" she asked.

"It's me," was the response and Lindsay's eyes instantly widened. What?

"Danny…is that you?"

"Sure, it's me. May I come in?"

"Uh, well…" Lindsay stammered. She hadn't known who could stand at the other side of the door, but Danny had been the last one she had expected. But she couldn't just let him stand there.

"Sure, come in," she finally answered and unlocked her door.

The moment her front door swung open, she was greeted by her co-worker's sparkling eyes and his huge grin.

"Good morning," he greeted her, but instead of coming in, stopped in his motion and let his eyes wander over her, slightly raising one eyebrow.

Lindsay, wondering why he was looking at her like this, followed his look, just to get the next shock. She had completely forgotten that she was still dressed in her 'sleeping clothes'. Which meant a very small tank top, which she had already worn on high school, and her tiny hot pants. This outfit was good for sleeping. But not for a moment like this. Definitely not.

But once again Lindsay was surprised by herself. Usually she would have just blushed and would have stammered something, hoping that she could just disappear. But instead of that, she just grinned at him, stepped aside and asked, "Did you come to my apartment just to stand in my doorway and stare at me?"

"Uh…no, sorry," Danny replied, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. With pleasure Lindsay noticed that now he was the one who was blushing, and mentally congratulated herself for changing this embarrassing situation to her favour.

"Okay. And what can I do for you?" Lindsay asked while closing the door again.

After thinking about why he had actually come to her apartment for a moment, a smile lit Danny's face again. "Well, I just wanted to make sure that you won't have any problems with getting to work. I mean, I thought you didn't want to take a cab again."

Instantly remembering the reason why Danny had taken her home the evening before, Lindsay couldn't help but laugh. "That's why you came here?"

"Yeah," Danny replied, still grinning but with a serious tone in his voice. "It was dark when I took you home last night. I can show you the shortest way to work, and maybe also the nearest subway station, if you want."

Lindsay didn't know what to respond to that. He hadn't joked; he indeed had come to show her how to get to the crime lab! Sure, he also could have thought that she had already looked the way up on a map. But no, he had come to her that early in the morning. To show her the way personally. How sweet was that?

"Thank you," Lindsay finally managed to say. "That's really nice." Actually she wanted to add 'But you didn't have to do that.' But seriously- why should she say that? She couldn't deny that she liked the attention he was paying to her, and his idea was nice, and the easiest way to get along with the huge amount of streets Manhattan had to offer.

"No problem," he answered, and if she wasn't completely wrong, Lindsay thought that she had noticed a tiny bit of pride in his grin. Pride because he had gotten the wished reaction. "So…get dressed and lets go."

Lindsay nodded. "Okay. But would you mind if I'd take a shower first? I'll hurry." When Danny nodded in agreement, she grabbed the clothes she had already prepared for the day, headed to the bathroom and added, "Oh, and I made coffee. Just get some if you want."

With that she quickly entered the bathroom.

While Lindsay was standing under the shower spray, trying to finish as fast as possible, she couldn't stop grinning. She still couldn't believe that Danny, her new co-worker, the man she was attracted to since the first moment they had met, now was sitting in her kitchen, waiting for her to take her to work. This was by far more than she had ever expected.

And she had also noticed something else. Back in Montana, Lindsay often had had the problem that she was shy. She didn't even know why. She had never really liked talking about herself, about her thoughts, and wishes. And she hadn't been spontaneous, quick-witted or relaxed. Lindsay could remember that she hadn't always been like this, but she had no idea what had made her change.

Now, in New York, she had noticed that she seemed to change again. Like yesterday when she had just tackled down the suspect, without any hesitation or fear. Or just a few minutes ago, when she hadn't just blushed and shut up but had made the best out of the embarrassing situation. Maybe starting her new life in this new city finally gave her the opportunity to become the person she once had been. And she couldn't wait to find out what else was awaiting her.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

When Lindsay came back into the living room after she had showered and gotten dressed, she found Danny still sitting at her kitchen table, a cup of steaming coffee in front of him. He stood up, grinning, and Lindsay noticed once again how he let his eyes wander over her body.

"Much better for going to work, right?" she commented, responding his grin.

"Oh, well, I won't say that," he shot back, grinning even more. "But as much as I'd like to go on with this talk, we should hurry if we don't want to be late."

"I think, I agree with that," Lindsay replied and grabbed her bag.

Around half an hour later, the two reached the crime lab. On their way Danny had shown Lindsay a subway station, not far away from her apartment building, and had told her which subway she'd have to take. Then he had taken the shortest and easiest way to work, while she had made notes so that she could look the way up later again.

And while driving to the lab, Lindsay had quickly noticed that their nice conversation from the evening before hadn't been an exception. They didn't have problems with starting a talk, and it was fun. Lindsay enjoyed their ride to work, and she couldn't deny that she was a bit sad when they reached the lab. If it was up to her, she could have driven through the whole country and back, as long as they had had the opportunity to continue talking. But only because they were at work now didn't mean they couldn't have some nice talks some time again. There was no reason why they couldn't build up a nice, little friendship.

But for the first half of the day, Lindsay had to push this idea away again. The moment she entered the lab, she was greeted by Mac, who instantly sent her to a new crime scene. As much as Lindsay loved her job, and as much as she was grateful for having the chance to work in New York, she still needed to get used to the hectic and stress. Sure, in Montana she had also had much to do, but compared with her new working place, this had almost been relaxing. But for Lindsay, her job was one of her passions, and so she was pretty sure that she'd fast get used to the higher speed.

It was around 3 pm in the afternoon when she finally got a few free minutes. The moment Lindsay entered the break room she noticed how hungry and thirsty she was. She had completely ignored this natural urges, had just worked one hour after the other. Now her body gave her the payback for that. With two long steps she reached the fridge and grabbed the first eatable thing she found. Grabbing a small bottle of water she found as well, she quickly rushed over to one of the tables where she sat down and had her first real meal at this day.

While eating, Lindsay was so deep in her thoughts with thinking about the case she was currently working at that she didn't notice Stella, one of her two bosses and co-workers, who entered the break room as well. She didn't notice how the older woman amused watched her for a moment until she joined her at her table, causing Lindsay to almost jump up from her chair.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Stella said, smiling at her. "Would you mind if I join you?"

"Oh, no, of course not," Lindsay answered, smiling back. "I was just thinking." And, while blushing slightly, she added, "I think I still have to get used to…working here."

"Of course," Stella agreed. "Working here and living here must be completely different from your life before."

Lindsay nodded in agreement. "Yes. Especially because it's pretty easy to get lost even when you just want to go home from work." She couldn't help but chuckle when she once again remembered her first problems with that. Hopefully she wouldn't have any problems this day after work. She couldn't ask Danny to take her home again.

"Do you have an own apartment?" Stella asked interested.

"Yes. It's a very small one, a one-room-apartment, but it's good, at least for the beginning. And it's only half an hour away from here. At least when you know the way."

Stella laughed at this comment. "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure you'll get along very well after a while."

"Oh, that's no problem, luckily I had some help," Lindsay replied.

Stella curiously raised her eyebrows. "Oh yes?"

"Yes," Lindsay answered, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. But why? It had been his decision to take her home and to pick her up this morning. "When my shift had ended yesterday, I met Danny and he suggested to take me home, because I didn't have enough money for a cab. And this morning he picked me up and showed me how I can get to work best."

"Wait- he took you home and picked you up again, and every time without you needing to ask him?" Stella asked surprised, and the look she gave Lindsay made her blush.

"Uh…yeah," she answered. What else did she think?

"Wow," Stella replied, grinning at Lindsay. "I hope you know that this was a special gesture. He doesn't do that for every new colleague."

As much as Lindsay liked this last comment, she couldn't help but blush even more. The whole time she had wondered why Danny had done this for her. And now hearing that this had been an exception made her wonder even more. What was different at her? Or- what was different between them? But before Lindsay's mind could go any further, she shook her head and pushed the thought away. He had just been nice, maybe also sympathetic. That's why he did that.

Stella, who had watched Lindsay and of course had seen the younger woman blushing at her comment, obviously noticed that she didn't want to go on with this conversation and quickly changed the topic.

"So, how do you like New York so far?" she asked, causing Lindsay to mentally sigh of relief.

"It's nice," she replied. "Although I actually haven't seen much yet. And I'm not sure if I will in the next days."

Again Stella laughed. "I know what you mean. But you know what? If you want, we could go out together. Into a nice bar for example. Maybe next weekend or so?"

Lindsay stared at Stella for a moment. Wow, so this was fast. How long had she been talking to Stella? For maybe five minutes? And the woman already asked her if she wanted to go out with her.

"I'd love to," Lindsay answered. Was there any better way to discover this city than going out with a real New Yorker? And, although they had only exchanged a few sentences yet, Lindsay had to admit that she really liked Stella. "So, next weekend?"

Lindsay and Stella continued talking for another quarter an hour until Lindsay had to go back to work. It was early in the evening when her shift ended and she could go home again. She decided to take the subway and without any problems found home immediately. Obviously Danny's lesson had been successful.

And so Lindsay's first week at the New York Crime Lab passed, much faster than she had expected. She had been right; she quickly got used to the rhythm at her new work and after the first few days, the stress did hardly affect her.

During this time, she had met some more of her new co-workers, and instantly had gotten along with them very well. They all were very open to their newest colleague, and no one hesitated to help her when she needed something.

There had also been some moments when Lindsay had had the opportunity to work together with Danny. But although they had hardly had time for a conversation, lasting longer than a minute, she caught herself by being excited whenever she met him. She was surprised by how interested she was in a man she practically knew nothing about. But the things Stella had said to her after she had told her what Danny had done for her on her first day were still present in her mind.

And then the evening had come. It was Saturday night, and Lindsay and Stella had arranged that they wanted to meet at Lindsay's apartment, from where they'd go to a new opened bar.

Around half an hour before she and Stella wanted to meet Lindsay was already completely dressed. Once again she looked into the huge mirror, standing next to her bed. She hadn't been sure what to wear, and so had decided for a tight, black top and her favourite, dark blue jeans, compared with black high heels. Her style was very casual, like her make-up. For a moment, Lindsay had thought that maybe she should make more out of herself, but had pushed the thought away again. Why should she do that? First, she wasn't planning on attracting anyone, and second she knew that she wouldn't feel well in a dress that wouldn't fit to her personality.

Another short glance into her mirror, and Lindsay nodded, satisfied. In her eyes, she looked good like this. She was pretty sure that she could show herself like this to the New Yorker nightlife.

At exact 10 pm, Lindsay's doorbell finally rang. She quickly rushed over to the door to open it, instantly being greeted by a smiling Stella.

"Hey Lindsay," she greeted her, after the traditional greeting-hug examining her younger friend. "Wow, you look really good."

"Thank you. You, too," Lindsay replied, blushing slightly. "So, can we go."

When Stella nodded, she quickly grabbed her bag and the two women left the apartment. On their way to the bar, Lindsay caught herself by feeling nervous again. She didn't even know when she had been out for the last time. But she was also excited. Excited by how the famous New Yorker nightlife was.

A few minutes later, the two women reached their target. The bar was pretty crowded, and Lindsay was glad that Stella took the leading part and leaded her through the crowd over to a free table. After ordering their drinks, Stella turned her full attention to her new friend again.

"So, what do you say?" she asked.

"It's nice," Lindsay replied, letting her eyes wander through the full room. "Loud. But nice."

Stella laughed and nodded. "Yes, it's pretty loud here. But this is typical for New York," she replied, causing Lindsay to laugh as well. "So, how was your first week? Are you still glad you decided to come here?"

Lindsay nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, of course. I'm sure, it was one of my best decisions yet."

"I'm glad to hear that," Stella answered with a smile.

Lindsay smiled back. "How could I not like it here? It was my dream to work in New York. Apart from the stress, the work is fantastic. And the colleagues are really nice."

Stella nodded again. "That's true. You really fit into our team. And I'm not the only one who thinks that." And with an even bigger smile she added, "I think, Danny would instantly agree with me."

By the mentioning of her co-worker, Lindsay couldn't help but blush again. She was glad that at this moment waitress came to bring them their ordered drinks. But if she had hoped that Stella would forget the topic again, she had been wrong.

"The two of you seem to get along very well, already since the first moment," she continued after sipping on her drink. "That's great."

"Yes, it is," Lindsay agreed. For a moment she thought about changing the topic again. But while thinking about Danny, suddenly a question popped into her mind. She tried to ignore it, but it was too late. Her curiosity was there, and after hesitating for a moment, she decided to use her chance. Why not? It was just a simple information. "He's really a nice guy. I'm sure he has a girlfriend, right?"

"Oh, I'm not sure," Stella answered, shrugging. "He doesn't talk much about that, at least not to me. Maybe Flack knows. And, well, actually this changes pretty often."

Lindsay just nodded at this. Yes, this was what she actually had expected. When she had seen Danny for the first time, she had instantly noticed that something special was surrounding him, and she was pretty sure that she wasn't the first woman who noticed that. She expected that he didn't have a problem with quickly changing his girlfriend, not seeing him as a guy who liked having a relationship that lasted longer than a few weeks. And according to Stella's comment, she seemed to be right.

Lindsay didn't know why, but while realizing this, she suddenly felt a bitter feeling inside her stomach. But what else had she expected? She was not the only woman who was attracted to a guy like him, and she was sure that a woman like her didn't belong to his type. And only because he was nice and friendly to her meant nothing.

But before Lindsay could follow this thought, a grin suddenly lit Stella's face.

"Oh, look," she said, pointing her head into a special direction behind her. "The guy over there. He seems to be pretty interested in you."

Curious Lindsay turned around, just enough to notice the man, who had focused his eyes on her, giving her a smile when their eyes met. He looked good with his dark hair and his sparkling dark eyes, that was for sure, and so she responded his smile.

When she turned back to Stella, she instantly noticed her friend's awaiting look, knowing what would come next.

"Why don't you just go over to him?" she asked. "I'll wait here."

"I'm not sure…" Lindsay replied, shrugging.

"Come on, Linds," Stella tried to encourage her. "He seems to be nice. And he looks good."

Lindsay turned around again, admitting that Stella was right. He indeed looked good. And he was interested in her. So where was the problem? She didn't have to marry this guy. She could just go over to him, have a nice little talk with him, and maybe a little flirt. What Danny could do, she could do as well, she thought, but instantly wiped the thought away. She should definitely stop thinking about him.

"Okay," she then said.

And after taking another deep breath, she stood up and walked over to the table where the man was sitting, already awaiting her.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing!!**

Around 15 minutes after Lindsay had walked over to the man's table and had talked to him, she returned to Stella's table. She had to fight hard to not grin too much, but Stella had already noticed the expressions on her friend's face.

"How was it?" she asked curiously. "How is he?"

"Oh, he's nice," Lindsay answered, trying to sounds as less interested as possible. "We had a nice little talk, and well, next Friday we'll go out for a date."

When Lindsay saw how Stella's eyes widened, she couldn't help but laugh. This was the affect she had hoped for. When she had first seen the guy, seeing the interested look and the smile he had given her, she had thought that at least she could give it a try.

She hadn't had any further contact to men for such a long time, and a little flirt would be nice. Men, like Danny for example, were doing this almost every day. So why shouldn't she do the same? Actually she wasn't the kind of woman who liked flirting, or even making the first step. But it wasn't the first time since she had arrived in New York that she had noticed that something in her behaviour had changed. The shy and insecure Lindsay seemed to step aside for another Lindsay. A woman, who was willed to stop hiding. Once she had been like this, and it was about time that she became like this again.

And so she had walked over to the handsome guy. They had instantly started a nice little talk, and she had told him that she was new in the city, coming from the country, which obviously had impressed him. The guy, Drake, had told her that unfortunately he had to go soon, but had asked her if she was interested in meeting him again. Lindsay had hesitated for a moment, but then had pushed her doubts away. It was just a simple date. What should be wrong with that?

And so she had agreed with him and they had exchanged numbers. He had suggested the following Friday and Lindsay had said that she'd call him.

Now she was sitting in front of a stunned looking Stella, who obviously was surprised how easily the first shy Lindsay had managed to get her first date.

"Wow," she then managed to say. "That was fast."

"Well, it's just a date, nothing special," Lindsay replied, although she could hardly hide her excitement. "We'll go into a restaurant."

"Sounds really good," Stella admitted. "So, what else did the two of you talk about?"

And while Lindsay continued talking, Stella listened full of excitement. The two women spent two more hours in the bar until they went back home again. But before she could go to bed, she sat down in front of the TV. She was too excited and to awake to go to bed already. Luckily her next shift wouldn't start until midday, and so there was enough time to sleep.

While staring onto the TV without actually noticing what she was watching, Lindsay replayed the last week in her mind. She had been so nervous when she had flown to New York, not sure what was awaiting her and how she'd get along with everything. But everything she had been worrying about, had turned out to be pretty easy. Her new co-workers and her new boss were all friendly and helped her. Especially Danny and Stella. And now, after being out for the first time, she already had a date. With a really good looking man who seemed to be nice. All this was more than she had ever hoped for. And the longer she thought about that, the more she realized that moving to New York was definitely one of the best decisions she had ever made.

It was around 3 am when Lindsay finally went to bed and the moment her head got in contact with her pillow, she had been fallen asleep.

The week until Lindsay's first date passed quickly. Although she didn't say a word to anyone, at least on Friday people started to see it in her eyes. This was what Danny seemed to do. Lindsay had just ended her shift and waited for the elevators, when he approached her, giving her one of his famous smiles.

"So, any plans for this weekend?" he asked her.

"Oh, nothing special," Lindsay lied, flashing a similar smile at him. "I'm just having a date in two hours."

She noticed how he slightly raised his eyebrows, before he answered, "Oh…really? You already have a date?"

Lindsay nodded, trying to not show how much she enjoyed his curiosity. "Yes, he's a really nice guy. Sorry, but I really have to hurry. I have to get ready."

And before Danny could reply more, Lindsay rushed into the just arriving elevator, grinning even more when she saw the disappointed look he gave her. She didn't know why, but his reaction had left a very satisfied feeling inside of her.

It was around 9 pm when Drake arrived at Lindsay's apartment. She instantly noticed the look he gave her and how he let his eyes roam over her body. She had chosen one of her dresses, a dark red one, and obviously it had the wished affect.

The restaurant Drake took her to was a small, Mediterranean restaurant, and Lindsay thought that it was just perfect for a first date. If he was as nice as he seemed to be the whole time, this evening would be a full success.

But Lindsay quickly learnt that not everything was what it looked like. After they had ordered their dinner, they started a conversation again. Lindsay, who didn't know much about Drake yet, apart from his name, asked him what he was doing.

But what had been nothing else than a simple question, turned out as a mistake. Obviously Drake had just waited for this question, and without hesitating, he started to talk. From what he said, he was a successful businessman, who seemed to be married with his job. This was at least what Lindsay expected, according to how much he loved to talk about it. He talked and talked, and even when their food arrived, he went on with his talk. Lindsay tried to make comments, trying to become a part of the conversation, but she quickly learnt that there was no way to interrupt him in his monologue. Somewhere along the line she then finally noticed that Drake had told her everything about his beloved job. But if she had hoped for a normal talk, or even a question from him, she had been wrong. No, Drake went on with his monologue, now talking about some of his friends he wanted to go on vacation with soon, telling her every little detail about the luxury hotel they wanted to go to.

As much as Lindsay had tried to get the chance to say something as well, she finally gave up. She just turned her attention to her dinner; obviously the only thing that was good at this evening, and just nodded sometimes to give Drake the feeling that she was still listening. And while doing that, she couldn't help but think that with Danny, this wouldn't have happened.

They spent three entire hours in the restaurant, until Drake finally asked for the check. Lindsay had to swallow hard to not sigh. She didn't really remember her last date, but at least she remembered why she had stopped dating. Obviously men were always the same, no matter if in Bozeman or New York.

When the waitress came with the check, Lindsay playfully looked away. After such an annoying evening, he at least could pay for their dinner, she thought. She was glad when after that, they finally left the restaurant.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Drake asked, grinning at her.

Lindsay just stared back for a moment, not believing how he could look at her like this after such a bad date. She couldn't believe how wrong she had been when she had thought that he was a nice guy.

"Uh…no, thank you. I'll take a cab," she answered. And before he could contradict, she added, "It was a really…nice…evening. I'll call you."

With that she left him standing in front of the restaurant, quickly rushing over to the cab that luckily had just arrived.

When she finally arrived at home, Lindsay just let her bag fall next to the door, kicked her shoes away and threw herself onto her bed. This evening had been pretty the worst she had expected. The last three hours had been so boring, and her head was still spinning from what Drake had thrown at her.

What Lindsay then did, surprised her when ever she thought about it later. Wanting to just hear the voice of a normal person talking to her, she grabbed her cell and dialled a number.

_Hello? _a male voice, sounding a bit tired, answered.

"Hey Danny," Lindsay answered, a bit unsure if what she was just doing, was right. "I hope I didn't wake you up."

_Montana? No, of course not. I…was just not prepared for getting a phone call now._

"Am I disturbing?" she asked a bit nervous.

_No, of course not. But…I thought you were on a date._

"I was…"

_But…?_

"It was horrible," Lindsay groaned, shuddering lightly when she heard his deep laughter coming from the other end of the phone.

_Oh, really? What did he do?_

And with that, Lindsay told Danny about her unsuccessful date with Drake. And once again she noticed how different he was from all the other men. Although it was practically in the middle of the night, he listened to what she had to tell. Without interrupting, just asking interested questions here and there. And while having another nice conversation with Danny, Lindsay realized that this date had been unnecessary from the first second on. Because actually there was only one man she wanted to date. And he was just talking to her on the phone.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!!**

_Wow, looks like your date was really just a waste of time,_ Danny said after Lindsay had told him the whole story.

"Oh yeah, definitely," Lindsay replied, playfully sighing. "And the best is that he really thought that it was a good date. And even wanted to take me home after that."

_I wonder what he wanted to do after that, _Danny answered, laughing. _Well, lets just hope he realized that you're not interested and will never call again._

"I really hope that," Lindsay agreed. But somehow she already knew that this evening hadn't been the last time she had heard about Drake.

Danny and Lindsay continued their conversation for a while, talking about other horrible dates they had had. They only hung up when they both were hardly able to keep their eyes open. But although Lindsay was incredibly tired, she was in a very good mood again. The talk with her colleague had helped her a lot.

But already the next morning she learnt that her suspicious that Drake hadn't realized that she didn't want to see him again, had been right. Around midday, while Lindsay was sitting behind her desk, concentrating on a file she was working at, her cell rang. Not paying any attention to the caller ID, she answered the phone.

"Monroe."

_Hey Lindsay, it's me._

Instantly recognizing the voice, Lindsay raised her eyebrows.

"Drake?" she asked in disbelief. She looked up at Danny, who was sitting across her desk behind his own, raising his eyebrows as well. "What do you want, Drake?"

_Where are you now?_

"Uh...at work. Where else should I be?"

Well, I just wanted to ask you if you'd like to meet me in your lunch break. Last evening was so nice, but unfortunately a bit short. I'd love to continue that.

Stunned for a moment, Lindsay didn't know what to say. Nice evening? Too short? Either he or her seemed to have misunderstood something here.

"I'm sorry, Drake, but...I don't think that this is a good idea," Lindsay answered, still looking at Danny, who suddenly wrote something on a small piece of paper and handed it to her.

'Tell him that the evening was horrible, that he should just shut up and never call you again.' she read and had to bite on her lips to not laugh. To Drake, she added, "I don't have...much time. Sorry."

Oh, that's no problem. Then I'll visit you. What about today, after work? I'll just come around 11 pm.

"No," Lindsay instantly answered. "No...I...I don't think that I'm at home then."

No problem. I'll wait for you. See you later, Linds.

And before Lindsay could contradict, he hung up again. For a few minutes, she just stared at her phone, not believing what a conversation she had just had. Had this guy just decided to meet her? Without her agreeing with that?

"Are you okay?" Danny suddenly interrupted her in her thoughts.

Lindsay shrugged, looking up at him. "Do you know what he just did? He invited himself. He said that he'll come to my apartment tonight, and he'll wait until I come home."

"Wow," Danny replied, a concerned look appearing on his face. "Your first date, the first time you give away your cell number and your address, and the man is such a creepy guy."

Lindsay nodded, slowly feeling uncomfortable. "What can I do now? I mean, I can't just stay here. Or let him stand in front of my apartment building."

"I think this won't help," Danny agreed. He was silent for a moment, obviously thinking about something, before he smiled and continued, "But I know what you could do. Or better said 'we'?"

Curious Lindsay raised her eyebrows. "And what?"

With an even bigger grin, Danny asked, "Do you think he'd be interested in a love triangle?" And when he saw the pretty shocked look Lindsay gave him, he started to explain what he had planned.

It was around 10 pm when Lindsay came home after work. But she wasn't alone.

"Where can I set the pizzas down?" Danny asked while Lindsay closed her front door.

"Just put them onto the kitchen table," Lindsay answered.

While watching Danny walking through her kitchen, she couldn't help but grin. His plan for showing Drake that he should stay away from her, was just brilliant. And she couldn't deny that she was glad that he was there now.

A few minutes later, the two were already sitting on Lindsay's couch, enjoying the pizza and some beer, watching some random TV show. Lindsay was excited for when Drake would come and they could translate their plan into action.

At exactly 11 pm her doorbell rang, causing her to almost jump. After sharing a short glance with Danny, she rushed over to the door. When she opened the door, she was instantly greeted by a broad smiling Drake, an awaiting look in his eyes, causing Lindsay to again be glad that she wasn't alone at home.

"Looks like your shift ended earlier," he said and just wanted to pass her to enter her apartment, but Lindsay didn't step aside.

"Drake, I really don't know if this is a good idea," she again said, trying to prevent him from coming in.

"Why?" Drake just asked, giving her a questioning look.

"Drake, I...I don't think that...this here...would work."

"Oh, no?" Drake replied, raising his eyebrows at her. "I don't think so. Yesterday you seemed to be interested and today you tell me that this won't work?"

"What?" Lindsay asked back, staring at him with huge eyes. "Please tell me, after our date, what gave you the feeling that I was interested in you?!"

After she had asked this question, Lindsay instantly regretted it when she saw the look Drake gave her. She instinctively made a step backwards; to him obviously a reason to get closer to her. But before Lindsay could contradict, she felt how the front door was opened from behind her.

"Hey," Danny said, stepping behind Lindsay. "Is there any problem?"

He looked down at her and Lindsay sighed lightly, relieved that he was interrupting the for her very uncomfortable situation.

"Don't you want to tell me who this is?" he added, and before Lindsay could answer, bent downwards and placed a short, gentle kiss on her lips.

Lindsay, who actually knew what to say now, was completely stunned. The kiss hadn't been a part of their plan.

Noticing that Lindsay obviously had forgotten what she had to say, Danny turned his attention back to Drake. But before he could say anything, Drake was faster.

"So you already have a boyfriend, huh?" he shouted at Lindsay, who just stared back at him. "And then you go out with me? Playing that you're interested? This was a mistake, young lady."

And to both, Danny's and Lindsay's surprise, he grabbed her arm and tried to pull her towards him. But this time Danny was faster. He grabbed Lindsay around her waist and with one quick motion, brought her behind him, so that he was standing between her and Drake.

"No, _this _was a mistake," Danny hissed, flashing an angry glance at Drake. "You remember when you called her this midday? She told you that she didn't want you to meet her. But what did you do? You came here. And instead of accepting that she doesn't want you and that she isn't interested in you, you dare to touch her like this? If I were you, I'd go. As quick as you can. And I'd never even think about calling her again, or coming here. Otherwise you'll get serious problems because of violating her privacy."

Lindsay, who was standing in the doorway, slowly recovering from her shock, just thought about interrupting the two men. The way Danny was talking and now standing in front of Drake, who actually was taller than him, glaring at him, made her believe that her friend needed only one wrong word to attack Drake. The two stared at each other for at least a minute, until Drake just shrugged.

"Have fun with her," he said, and with that turned around and headed to the elevators. Danny remained standing in the corridor, watching Drake who walked faster and faster until he was almost fleeing, before he gently guided Lindsay back into her apartment.

"This guy won't come back again," he said after he had closed the door. "And if he'd dare to call you again, just tell me, okay?"

Lindsay nodded. "Thank you," she answered quietly, just noticing how close the two of them were standing at this moment. There were only inches parting their bodies, and she had the feeling that she could almost feel the heat coming from his body. She didn't dare to look him in the eyes, not sure which affect this'd have on her.

"Do you need me to do anything else for you?" he asked. "If you want and if you feel better, I can stay here tonight. Your couch seems to be comfortable."

At this comment, Lindsay couldn't help but look up at him. She saw the warmth and the comfort in his eyes, truly wanting to show her that she was safe, and that he'd do everything for it to stay like this. And she couldn't deny that she'd be glad if he'd stay. On the one side because Drake's sudden reactions had frightened her a bit, and on the other side because she didn't want him to go already.

"This would be nice," she answered, smiling when he smiled at her.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing!**

The next morning, Lindsay was woken up by the sounds of rain hitting against the window right above her bed. With closed eyes, she listened to the drumming sound for a while. Lindsay loved rain. The steady sound and the smell of it always had a calming affect on her. It was a great feeling to just lie in bed, knowing that she didn't have to work, that she could do whatever she wanted.

And so it was no surprise that Lindsay, while almost falling asleep again, almost jumped out of her bed when she heard a sound coming from her couch. Her eyes flew open and she stared into the direction of the couch. She had totally forgotten that she wasn't alone at home.

But after the first shock, a smile lit her face. How could she forget that she had allowed Danny to stay at her apartment for the night? And she had to admit, although he had slept on the couch, she had felt much more comfortable than she would have if he hadn't been there.

She reminded the evening before, when her friend had helped her with getting rid of her annoying date. And when Drake had gotten too close to her, he instinctively had protected her.

And now Danny was lying on her couch, tightly wrapped into the thin blanket she had given him. She assumed that his current position couldn't be really comfortable, but obviously it didn't matter to him. And while watching him, she caught herself by thinking how cute he looked asleep.

"Good morning, Montana," he suddenly interrupted her in her thoughts, and when Danny moved his position a bit to look at her, a huge, sleepy grin on his face, Lindsay could feel how she instantly blushed. "You like staring at me, huh?"

"Oh…uh…sorry," she stammered, still too sleepy and now too stunned to come up with a good comment.

"No problem," Danny just replied and rested his head back on the small pillow.

Lindsay sighed lightly, glad that he hadn't said anything to her bright red face. She moved in her bed until she had freed herself from her blanket and crawled over to the top of her bed.

"Would you mind if I opened the window for a moment?" she asked.

"No," was the short reply and so Lindsay carefully opened the huge window.

She was instantly greeted by a cool breeze of the fresh late summer air. The lightly blowing wind crept under her thin clothes, sending shivers down her spine and letting Goosebumps appear on every inch of her body. She closed her eyes and soaked in the delicious smell of rain. For a moment she had the feeling that she was back home in Montana. But when Lindsay opened her eyes again, all she saw in front of her was the clouded skyline of New York. And to her surprise she didn't feel the slightest bit of homesickness.

Lindsay closed the window again and turned back to the man lying on her couch, now even more wrapped into his blanket to protect himself against the sudden cold. She jumped from her bed and walked over to him to sit down on the couch across of him. The moment she sat down, he looked up at her, their eyes instantly meeting.

"How did you sleep?" Lindsay asked, pulling her legs close against her chest.

"Surprisingly good," Danny answered. "I already knew that you have a comfortable couch."

Lindsay chuckled lightly when she remembered how uncomfortable he had looked while sleeping on said couch, but she was pretty sure that he'd never admit that.

Again they just looked at each other, until Danny asked, "Was a bit too cold outside, right?"

"Why?"

"Because you look like you're still freezing."

With his eyes he pointed in her direction and when Lindsay looked downwards, she saw that she was still covered with Goosebumps. But before she could reply anything, Danny suddenly stood up from his couch and, while taking his blanket with him, walked over to her. Lindsay wondered what he wanted to do, but her question was instantly answered when he sat down next to her, carefully pulled her a bit closer and wrapped the blanket around the two of them.

Surprised by this sudden action, Lindsay didn't know what to do and so just allowed him to pull her against him and to warm her, not just with the blanket but also with his body.

Back in Montana Lindsay had had a couple of boyfriends, and also several dates. But at this moment she was suddenly overwhelmed by the unexpected nearness between her and Danny. She still didn't really know what was going on in his mind. After all the nice things he had done in the beginning she had thought that the two of them could build up something like a friendship.

But she couldn't help but think that there could also be more between them. Lindsay suddenly remembered what else had happened the evening before. Danny had successfully managed to play her boyfriend. But he had also played this in a way they actually hadn't planned. He had kissed her. It had just been a short kiss, a tiny short kiss, but it had been so unexpected that it had almost shocked Lindsay. After that, she had tried to ignore how much this tiny little gesture had affected her, telling herself that he had just done this as a friend.

And what he was doing now was nothing else than another friendly gesture from him. Or maybe not? Lindsay had no idea. Actually she had to admit that she didn't have even the slightest idea of what she was for Danny. She even didn't know what he was for her. Sure, he was a great friend, the greatest male friend she had ever had. But why did she think so much about him? Why did she think how it would be to go out on a date with him? Or why did he cause such sensations inside of her with just holding her, warming her?

Maybe this was just because she hadn't really had any kind of intimate contact to guys for such a long time? At this particular moment, she was very close to Danny, feeling his, after sleeping still heated, body against hers, smelling him, feeling his breath tangling in her hair. This was by far the most intimate contact she had had with a man during the last years. But was this the reason why she felt feelings like this? Or was there more between them? More than she had ever expected?

"Better now?" Danny's whispering voice interrupted her in her thoughts again.

"Uh…yes," Lindsay managed to say, instantly closing her mouth again to prevent a 'Much better.' from escaping. "Do you…do you want…to eat anything? I could make breakfast."

"Sounds good," Danny answered, letting her slide away from him. "Do you want me to help you?"

"Oh, no, no, I can do that on my own," Lindsay replied, concentrating hard while walking over into the kitchen, trying to not show how much this little moment had affected her. "When do you have to work today?"

"At 1 pm."

"I think, then you have enough time for a nice, long breakfast," Lindsay replied, flashing a smile at him.

While getting away from him, their personal spaces getting more and more apart, she could feel how she calmed down again, the ability to talk finally returning back to her. She quickly searched for what she needed to make a huge breakfast for them while Danny went into the bathroom to have a shower. Lindsay turned her entire attention to what she was doing, trying to ignore the rising images of her friend in the shower.

But as much as Lindsay tried to ignore what she was feeling, what she was actually feeling since the first time she had met Danny, she couldn't deny the tension between them. After having breakfast it was time for Danny to go and to head to the lab, and again Lindsay caught herself by being sad about that.

"Okay, I'd say I see you tomorrow," Danny said, already standing in the doorway of Lindsay's front door.

"Yes," Lindsay replied. "I have to work at 9, what about you?"

"I have to work at 9, too. I could pick you up. Your apartment is on my way," he suggested.

"Would be nice," Lindsay replied, before she could even think about what he had said.

"Okay. So, see you tomorrow. I'll be here at 8:30." With that, Danny suddenly bent forward, placed a quick kiss onto her forehead, before he turned around and headed to the elevators.

Lindsay remained standing in her doorway even after Danny already had left her apartment building. She was replaying the past few hours since she had woken up in her mind over and over again. Danny's attempt at warming her up on the couch. The suggestion to pick her up before work. The kiss onto the forehead. All this could be just interacting between two really close friends. If there hadn't been this tension. And the fact that after finally studying a map Lindsay had found out that Danny's apartment wasn't far away from hers, but not on his way to work. At this moment Lindsay had no idea, that what was going on between her and Danny would become much more serious faster than she had ever expected.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!  
**

The following days passed without any further interruptions. Lindsay had to work one case after the other, and even when she and Danny were working together or when he picked her up from her apartment, they hadn't much opportunities for personal talk or even getting closer to each other again.

But although they both had so much stress Lindsay couldn't deny that the tension, she had already felt so many times before, was still there, and she couldn't help but think that it was becoming stronger and stronger. Whenever the two of them were in the same room there was this chemistry between them. The moment he walked into the same room, Lindsay shuddered lightly. And when he got closer to her, especially when he entered her personal space, she had to fight hard against the urge to touch him.

Lindsay was confused by her own behaviour. She was surprised about what she suddenly was feeling for Danny. Of course he was a great friend, and she liked him a lot. But the sexual tension between them was so intense that it became almost unbearable. Lindsay had never felt like this before, at least not for a man she wasn't even together with and only knew for such a short time. And the more she watched Danny, the more she got the feeling that he could feel it, too. And obviously clearly enjoyed it.

But to her luck, Danny didn't try to get too close to her, and Lindsay hoped that her confusing feelings would just go away as suddenly as they had appeared. But she quickly was proved wrong.

It was one of these rainy days. When Lindsay finally arrived at the lab she was already wet. And in a horrible mood. When she had left her apartment building she had realized that she had forgotten her umbrella. Having no time to go back and take one she ran to the subway, the rain hitting her hard into her face. She didn't pay any attention to the people who looked at her. Then, after leaving the subway, she had to run again. When she finally entered one of the elevators her clothes were completely wet as was her hair.

With long, fast steps she headed to the locker room. The day had started pretty bad, and at this moment she didn't want to see anyone, or even talk to anyone. She just needed new clothes. With one quick motion she opened her locker, practically ripping her shirt off and threw it onto the ground. Usually she loved rain. As long as she didn't get in too much contact with it. With an annoyed groan she leant back against the locker next to hers, closing her eyes for a moment.

She remained like this until she suddenly got the feeling that she was watched. Lindsay slowly opened her eyes just to instantly meet Danny's gaze, who was standing only a couple of inches away from her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to interrupt you," he said, a tiny grin playing on his lips all the time. "I just needed something from my locker."

Lindsay needed a second to realize that the locker she was leaning against was Danny's. And also that she was still only wearing her bra. But to her surprise, she didn't blush. Instead of that she just looked back at him, shivering lightly when she saw how he gave up on focusing on her eyes but let them travel over her half naked body. She slowly pushed herself away from the cold locker, not even making an attempt of trying to cover herself. Again she was confused by her behaviour, wondering what the hell she was doing at this moment. This was not how she usually behaved, especially not when she was standing in front of her colleague and friend, only in her bra. This was only something she did when she was alone with a guy she had dated him at least three times.

But now everything seemed to be different. It was as if something or someone had taken control over her behaviour and was now doing things she had never done before. She had never dared to do before.

"I'm sorry," she answered, now being the one who let her eyes travel down his body. It was incredible how much this guy was affecting her. And she didn't need much imagination to know that he exactly knew that. And he proved her right when he walked over to her, a grin on his lips that made her knees turn weak.

She was still almost leaning against the locker. When Danny approached her and stopped just in front of her, only a few inches were separating their bodies. Lindsay instinctively made a step backwards, shuddering when she got in contact with the cold material again. In response to that Danny made a step forwards, getting so close that she could feel his warm breath on her still cold, still wet face. She knew that she didn't have to say a single word- her body was speaking for her. And her body was just giving him the encouragement to go on, to go further.

"Stupid weather, huh?" he almost whispered, raising his hand to wipe one of her wet hair strands out of her face, in the same motion gently touching her skin.

"Well, it has its advantages," Lindsay whispered back, blushing slightly when he grinned even more.

"Yeah, it definitely has," he responded, again making a step in her direction, closing the last bit of distance between the two of them.

The moment Lindsay could feel his body against hers, she could feel her heart beating so fast that she thought she'd have a heart attack every moment. She didn't dare to look him in the eyes. She already knew where this situation would lead to. And she still couldn't believe it. But she also couldn't do anything against it.

And so she didn't try to pull back when Danny gently took her chin and pulled her face up to look at her. Their eyes remained locked for a moment. And then it happened. Lindsay wasn't sure if she or he had made the first step. All she remembered was that she had closed her eyes the moment Danny's lips had gently touched hers. It had been a while since Lindsay had had her last real kiss, and the sensation of it almost overwhelmed her. Her hands instinctively went up to his hips, searching for support, not able to trust her own legs anymore.

Feeling how she was pressed even more against the cold locker, his hands on her hips steadying her, she slowly let her hands move up over his chest, feeling his muscles tense under the soft fabric of his shirt. After what seemed to be eternity, they got apart again, their eyes once again meeting in a deep gaze. She knew that his fiery, lust filled gaze was the exact match to her own, and she knew that after this kiss there was no way to stop what they had just started.

Without him needing a word to say Lindsay could feel Danny's hesitation, not sure how far he could go with her, still not sure what kind of person she was. But even Lindsay didn't have an idea. She just knew that a man had never made her feel like this before. And she also knew that she didn't want to run away.

But he couldn't know that. And so it was her who made the next step. Without even really noticing it her hands moved upwards again, grabbing the collar of his shirt to pull him down to her, into another, even more heated, even more passionate kiss.

The moment their lips met again Lindsay completely forgot that she and Danny were still in the locker room of the lab. Her body seemed to work on its own and so did his. They quickly got lost in their kiss, only parting when Lindsay removed Danny's shirt.

They quickly got rid of their clothes. Lindsay hardly noticed when Danny pulled her away from the locker and leaded her over to the nearest wall. When he lifted her up she closed her legs around his hips, closing her eyes in the same process, just to open them again when she felt how Danny hesitated again.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked her quietly, giving her a questioning look.

Lindsay looked back for a moment. Was she ready for something like that? In a place like this? His hesitation was her last chance to stop. To prevent herself from doing a mistake. Or to make a mistake. She could feel her mind and her heart fighting. Usually she listened to her mind, sure that the most logical answer was the best answer. But only because saying no to getting that intimate with her friend in the locker room was the most logical answer, Lindsay slowly started to realize that it wasn't what she wanted. What she needed. She needed to be close to him. It was a wonderful feeling to know how much he wanted her, and she wanted him as well. Sure, giving in could be a mistake. Not doing it could be wrong as well.

And, for the first time since a long time, maybe even for the first time in her life, Lindsay decided to listen to her heart.

"Stop asking questions," she just said, grabbing his face to kiss him again, giving him the encouragement he had waited for.

Several minutes later, Danny and Lindsay were sitting on the cold floor of the locker room, trying to get their breathes back to normal, still affected by the intensity of their satisfying love making. Lindsay was sitting in Danny's lap, her head resting against his shoulder, her eyes closed. She still couldn't believe what she had just done, and actually she didn't care anymore. She didn't care if someone could have caught them. She didn't care if she had gone too far. She didn't care if she could have made a mistake. Because she knew that it hadn't been a mistake.

Close to falling asleep, Lindsay felt how Danny gently wiped a few hair strands out of her face, placing a soft kiss against her forehead.

"As much as I'd love to continue that, we should get up now. And get dressed. Because I'm sure Mac wouldn't be amused if he would find us like this," he whispered.

Lindsay chuckled lightly but stood up. "I think you're right with that," she answered, grabbing her underwear and clothes, spread everywhere on the ground.

She quickly got dressed, but before she had closed her locker, she felt Danny approach her from behind, closing his arms around her waist.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked her quietly.

Lindsay knew what this question meant. She already had an idea of what she wanted, but wasn't really sure if to say it.

"I don't know," she lied. "What about you?"

"I think, we should definitely continue that. Just about the 'how' we should talk," he answered, causing her to smile.

"Sounds good. And talking as well. What about today? 9 pm, my place?" Lindsay asked back.

"I'll be there," Danny answered. And after placing another kiss on her cheek, he gently removed his arms from her waist and headed to the door of the locker room.

Lindsay remained standing in front of her locker for a few more minutes. She was glad about Danny's reaction. Her biggest fear had been that after they had gotten that intimate, he'd tell her to just go on like before. But he had done the opposite. Now they just had to figure out how they wanted to continue.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the chapter.**

What had started as an annoying and bad day had completely changed. At least for Lindsay. After what had happened in the locker room, she needed a while to get her concentration back. She had never done something like this before and she still couldn't believe that it hadn't just been a dream.

To her luck, she and Danny didn't have to work together at this day, and she was glad about it. She knew that when they would have been in the same room, would have had to work together, she wouldn't have been able to concentrate on what she was doing.

When Lindsay's shift ended at 6 pm, she almost ran back home. It was still raining, but this time she didn't pay any attention to the fact that she was completely wet when she finally reached her apartment building. She walked straight into the bathroom, already removed her clothes on her way. She still had three hours left until Danny would come to her place. But she needed this entire three hours. To get prepared. Although she didn't even know what she had to get prepared for.

After showering, getting dressed again, cleaning up her apartment and putting her already prepared dinner into the oven, Lindsay looked at her watch for the first time. She groaned; although she had done so much, it wasn't even 7 yet. Maybe hurrying hadn't been such a good idea.

After what seemed to be hours but only had been a few minutes, Lindsay's dinner was finally ready. With her plate and a glass of water, she sat down in front of her TV. But, like most of the time during the last weeks, she didn't pay any attention to what she was watching. She had tried it, she had really tried it.

But the moment she had sat down on the couch, her thoughts drifted away again. Drifted away to what had happened only a few hours ago. She remembered how she had felt when she had opened her eyes in the locker room, had seen Danny, standing so close to her, watching her. She remembered how he had approached her, had caused this incredible tension deep inside of her. She still was confused by how she had reacted to this situation. She hadn't been shy how she actually was used to.

They had had sex in the locker room of the lab. Now, while sitting at home, having time to think, Lindsay couldn't help but blush. During this half an hour, they could have been caught every moment. Maybe even could have lost their jobs by what they had done there. Now she realized that. But she hadn't wasted a single thought about that when they had been there, together.

The longer Lindsay thought about that, the more she was impressed by how different she had been. And by how much she had enjoyed the thrill and the sensation of the intimate nearness between her and Danny. Danny, her co-worker she knew for not even a month now. Who was her friend. At least this was what she had thought. But she had also thought that she was a shy, maybe even prude, woman. A woman who often had tried to be as unobtrusive as possible. And now? Now she discovered a completely new side on herself. A side that had appeared on the day she had arrived in New York. A side that came more and more to the surface, especially whenever she was together with Danny.

When at exactly 9 pm her doorbell rang, Lindsay couldn't get fast enough to her door. But before she could rib it open, she stopped herself in front of it. She took a deep breath, trying to steady the rhythm of her rapidly beating heart with it. Then she reached over to the door handle and opened the door.

"Hey," she greeted Danny, giving him one of her brightest smiles. "You're very on time." Without really looking at him, she leaded him into her living room, going on with her talk. To avoid a possible embarrassing silence between them. To overplay her own insecurity. "I hope, the rest of your shift wasn't as annoying as mine. I…"

"Lindsay?" Danny interrupted her, while speaking gently grabbing her wrist, stopping her hectic moving through her apartment. "Are you okay?"

Lindsay stared back for a moment, with huge eyes. "Uh…sure, why not?"

"Because you're acting a bit…weird," he answered with a light concerned voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lindsay replied, pulling her hand out of his gentle grasp, leaving her wrist burning from his touch. She didn't know what to say. Telling him that she hadn't awaited him would be a simple lie. But what wondered her the most was- why did she suddenly act like this? She couldn't deny that in the moment he had rang her doorbell, a nervous wave had rushed through her body. But why was she nervous? She hadn't been nervous before. Why now?

But before she could say more, Danny continued, "Lindsay, if you want to be alone, it's okay. We…don't have to talk about that today…okay?"

"No!" she instantly contradicted, a bit louder than she had wanted to. "No, I…don't want you to go. It's just…" Her voice trailed off again. Yeah, what? What did she want to say?

She looked up at him, her eyes locking with his. And she instantly noticed the look he was giving her. There was still this sparkle she had already seen in the locker room earlier. This look that had turned her knees weak. But there was also something else. He was worrying. Worrying because of her sudden strange behaviour. Maybe even worrying if during the last hours she had changed her mind. But one thing was clear- she was not the only one who was nervous, who wasn't sure how to act.

"It's just…" she began again. "I…have never done something like this before. Well, I mean, I have but not…like this. You know?" Nervously she looked at him again, relieved noticing the smile he gave her.

"Sure. And actually you really surprised me," he answered, now causing her to smile. Yeah, like she had surprised Stella in the bar. She still had the expression of the shy countrygirl.

"But Lindsay," Danny then continued, a change in his voice again. "Do you…regret what we have done?"

Lindsay was silent for a moment. She hadn't really thought about that yet. In the locker room, when she had lain in his arms, she had thought that it definitely hadn't been a mistake. But was this still what she was thinking? Lindsay didn't need long to find the answer. Yes, she still thought this. It hadn't been a mistake. Sure, it had been risky, and she wouldn't have sex in the locker room, or somewhere else at the lab again. But getting intimate with him? No, this was nothing she regretted. But before she wanted to answer his question, she had another one for him.

"Do you regret it? Now, after having time to think about it?" she asked. Sure, he had been the one who had told her to continue what they had just started. But after so many hours he could also have changed his mind again.

"Shouldn't you first answer my question?" he asked back. But when Lindsay just shrugged, waiting for him to answer, he continued, "No. Why should I regret it? It was…fantastic. And we even didn't have much time. Or were somewhere where we didn't have to be afraid to get caught and to loose our jobs." When Lindsay chuckled, he smiled again. "No, I don't regret it. And like I already told you, I'd love to continue that. So what about you?"

"I think, I agree with you," Lindsay answered, grinning slightly when she saw the relieved expression on his face. "The question is just…"

"…how," Danny completed her sentence. There were several ways they could go on after having sex. They could have left it as a simple one-night-stand, but this was out of discussion. They could also go on with having a love affair, just having sex here and there. Or they could go out for a few dates, to build up something more. Something like a relationship.

"You know what?" Danny then added. "I leave it up to you."

"What?" Lindsay asked, looking at him with a surprised look. "You want me to decide? But I can't do that on my own."

"Then at least tell me your opinion," he suggested, with an excited look waiting for her answer.

Lindsay needed a moment to think about this. What did she want them to do? This situation was completely new to her. Usually, when she had met a man she had been interested in, she had gone out for some dates with him. Then she had decided if she could imagine more happening between them. Her target had always been a relationship.

But now she suddenly wasn't sure about what she wanted. But she knew that she had to answer. And suddenly she got an idea. An idea of what would be the best to find out what she wanted, and what he wanted.

"I'd say we just wait and see," she finally answered. When she noticed that he didn't understand, she explained, "I mean, I don't really know what's coming next. All this…has started in a very…unconventional way. At least for me. I'd say we should just wait and see what happens. We do what we want to do. When we want to go out, we do that. And when we want to…go further again, we do that, too. But without the force that we have a special target. I think, after a while we'll know what we want, and what's the best for us."

After a moment of thinking about what she had said, Danny nodded in agreement.

"Sounds like a plan," he answered.

He was grinning again, and Lindsay couldn't help but think that he was grateful for her answer. To her it was clear that Danny wanted to continue what was going on between the two of them. But he definitely wasn't ready for building up a relationship with her, especially not after such a short time. But he also wasn't sure if she was the kind of woman who was willing to have a simple affair with him. Waiting and seeing how their relationship would develop seemed to be the best solution.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Danny then asked after another moment of silence.

"Oh, you could go home and let me sleep," Lindsay instantly answered, laughing when she saw the look he gave her. With two long steps she reached him, gently resting her hands on his shoulders. "I was just kidding. Actually we both know what we're expecting to happen next."

"Oh yeah?" Danny asked, locking his eyes with hers while resting his hands on her hips.

"Oh yeah," Lindsay answered, leaning forward to kiss him.

Of course Lindsay knew that this relationship she had just started with Danny was completely different from all she had done before. But she wasn't afraid about that. While feeling him kissing her, pulling her closer against him, she had finally realized it. It wasn't just New York that caused her to change, to finally open up and become the person she once had been; relaxed and happy. No, it also was because of him. Because he was waking wishes deep inside of her she hadn't even known that they were existing. And it was about time that she just accepted them, just did what she wanted to do, not what others awaited from her.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

When Lindsay woke up the next morning, she didn't need long to remember the evening before. She was tightly wrapped into her thick blanket, but the warming fabric of it wasn't the only thing she felt against her naked skin. Her head was still comfortably resting on Danny's chest, his arms wrapped around her small body.

Lindsay slowly opened her eyes, smiling. How long had it been since she had woken up next to a man for the last time? She had to admit that she couldn't really remember it.

She slowly let her hand move over his chest, feeling how his muscles slightly tensed under her feather light touch.

"Good morning," she heard the sleepy voice coming from her lover.

With a smile Lindsay turned around in his arms so that she could face him. He replied her smile. He raised his hand, gently stroking through her hair.

"Good morning," Lindsay greeted back. "I hope I didn't wake you up."

"No, you didn't," Danny replied, letting his hand travel to her cheek. "I'm awake for at least ten minutes already."

"Oh, you could have woken me up," she answered, allowing him to pull her face down to his.

"I couldn't. You looked too sweet while sleeping," he said, kissing her gently.

It was just a tiny, a quick little kiss, but it was enough to send shivers up and down Lindsay's spine. It was amazing what feelings this man could cause inside of her. After getting apart again, Lindsay rested her head back on Danny's chest again and wrapped her arms around his chest, feeling how he tightened his grasp around her. They lay like this for several minutes, none of them talking a word. Lindsay enjoyed the calming feeling of being hold, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

But through the silence, she could almost feel that he was thinking about something the whole time. She didn't know what it was and actually planned to wait until he'd talk to her, if what was going on in his mind had to do with her or them. But when he hadn't said a single word after around quarter an hour and Lindsay still thought that he was deep in his thoughts, she decided to just ask him.

"Are you okay?" she simply asked.

"Sure, why not?" Danny asked back.

Again Lindsay moved in his tight embrace to face him. She was greeted by a smile again, but in his eyes she could read that he wasn't just thinking but also worrying about something.

"Oh, it's just that I have the feeling that…you want to talk about something," Lindsay replied, raising her hand to gently move it through his hair. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing, really," Danny tried to contradict, but Lindsay wasn't easy to convince.

"Sorry, but I don't believe that," she honestly said. "Come on, Danny, I'm your friend, you can talk to me, about everything."

"Are you sure about that?"

"About what?" Lindsay asked back, although she was pretty sure that she knew what he meant.

"Are you sure we're just friends? Like before? Although we're doing all this?" he asked.

"Why not?" Lindsay asked back, again surprising herself with that. Actually she had never thought that one could really keep sex and love apart from each other. But with the time she started to believe that it was. At least at the moment.

Before she had fallen asleep the night before, she had thought about this topic for a while. What exactly was it that she was feeling for Danny? What did she want? She still hadn't found an answer, but somehow she had to admit that a relationship wasn't what she wanted at the moment. Back in Montana she had had a few relationships, but she hadn't been happy with them. So why not trying something new? Danny was a great friend, and they had amazing sex. What would be wrong with just enjoying this? Maybe some day they'd get closer, and who knew, maybe some day they could start something like a relationship.

But at the moment Lindsay didn't want this. She just wanted to enjoy her time with Danny, without the force to deepen their relationship or make steps into a special direction.

"Of course I'm sure about that," she then answered, smiling at him. "What's wrong with that?"

"Uh, nothing, I…was just thinking. I mean…"

"I don't seem to be a woman who just wants to have some fun, right?" Lindsay completed his sentence.

"This is what you said," Danny answered, blushing slightly, but from the look he gave her, Lindsay could tell that she was right. "Well, but you'd tell me if you felt uncomfortable, right?"

"Sure," was Lindsay's short answer. She remained looking at him for a moment before she sat up. "After we clarified this, what about breakfast? I really need to eat something now."

She looked at him, waiting for an answer. Her first response was a gaze, a mix of confusion and surprise, before Danny just nodded. With a smile, Lindsay stood up, grabbing her bathing robe and headed over to her kitchen.

While she was preparing breakfast, she once again replayed the former conversation in her mind. She couldn't help but smile when she thought about how her friends would look at her. None of them had ever expected her to be a woman who would just start something like this. They had always seen her as the woman who wanted nothing else than a relationship, marrying and having a huge family. But since Lindsay was in New York, she started to think about herself in a different way. Being shy and searching for the right man to have exactly what everyone awaited from her, hadn't really made her happy. Moving to New York had been a surprise to everyone. And a great chance for her. Moving had changed her, had made her seeing herself from a new point of view. And this was definitely a good thing.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Never give up. :)**

Although Lindsay really enjoyed the time she could spend together with Danny she quickly realized that the fact that he wasn't just her lover but also her co-worker wasn't that easy to handle. The tension between them was so strong that she thought it was impossible for others to not notice it.

And if it wasn't enough that the two had to work in the same building, they also had to work the same case. Together with Flack. Lindsay didn't know if there was anyone who would be more dangerous to work together with. She was pretty sure that he knew his best friend good enough to notice the change in his behaviour. And his behaviour had changed, that was for sure.

Lindsay had been the first at the crime scene. The moment Danny and Flack had arrived and Danny had left the car, their eyes had met. He had instantly grinned at her, causing her to blush. Hopefully this wouldn't happen every time whenever he looked at her.

While Flack was talking to another person, Danny already walked over to her. Lindsay had just stood up from her kneeling position when he stepped behind her.

"Good morning," he whispered into her ear, the feeling of his warm breath on her sensitive skin instantly making her shudder. She didn't even have to turn around to know how close he was standing to her. She could practically feel him against her. Or was this just the memory of what she had felt hours before? Maybe it wasn't a good idea to have sex when they had to work together the next day.

"Good morning," she replied, trying to sound as less interested as possible. But she knew that he could almost sense what she was thinking. She tried to focus on what she was supposed to do. Danny remained standing behind her until he finally moved away from her, stepping in front of her.

"You slept well last night?" he asked, kneeling down next to the body of the victim, not looking at her.

Lindsay stared at him for a moment. Of course she knew that they hadn't woken up together, because she had had to go to work earlier and had left him one of her keys. But why was he asking her how she had slept? When she then noticed the tiny grin pulling at the corners of his mouth, she knew that he was teasing her again.

"Well, I slept pretty good," she answered. "Why shouldn't I? It was a relaxing evening. Nothing major happened."

"Oh yeah?" Danny asked back and when she saw how he slightly raised his eyebrows, she couldn't help but laugh.

"As much as I'd love to go on with that," Lindsay answered, pointing her head in Flack's direction when Danny looked up. "We should go back to work. And concentrate on what we're supposed to do."

"I agree with you," Danny replied standing up again. "Although it's a question of definition what we're supposed to do."

And with that, he gave her another short grin before he turned away from her and headed over to Flack. Lindsay had to bite on her lips to not laugh. She loved this teasing. But while watching Danny she wondered how far this teasing would go after they had gotten so close.

For the next few hours Lindsay didn't have to think about this. During the time she was together with both, Danny and Flack, all she got from her lover were several glances, but nothing that could reveal what was really going on between the two of them.

It was late in the evening when Lindsay entered her office. They had managed to close their case successfully. Now only two more hours and her shift would end and she could go home again. She threw a disgust look at the file on her desk. But duty was calling and so she headed over to it. Before she sat down, she stopped close to the desk. The day had been hard and her back hurt. She stretched her arms, groaning when the piercing pain rushed through her body. She remained in her position for a while, satisfied noticing how the pain became less again.

"Can I help you with something?" she suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her. Lindsay didn't need a second to recognize it.

"No, thank you, my back is just hurting," Lindsay answered, not turning around to Danny yet.

"Oh, I see. Maybe I could help you anyway," he answered.

Without seeing him, Lindsay could feel how he approached her and stopped only a few inches behind her. She felt how he gently grabbed her arms and pulled them down. Then he removed his hands from her wrists again, just to place them on her shoulders.

Lindsay instinctively closed her eyes when he started to message her shoulders. It was exactly what she needed at this moment, and she had to admit that he was very talented with it.

"How is this?" he asked, almost whispering.

"It's perfect," Lindsay whispered back, half moaning.

"Good to know," Danny replied.

He continued messaging her, and Lindsay got more and more lost in the sensation of his touches. She was so concentrated that she almost jumped when she felt Danny's lips brushing over the smooth skin of her neck. The same moment his almost burning lips got in contact with her skin, he removed his hands from her shoulders again, resting them on her hips, pulling her backwards against him. Lindsay had to bite on her lips to prevent herself from making any noises. But although she loved what he was doing to her, she still knew where she was.

"Danny...you know, I love this but...you still remember that we're in our office? The one with glass walls?" she managed to ask.

"Doesn't matter, nobody will see us," he just replied, continuing to kiss her.

Lindsay's eyes again closed, her self control shrinking with every kiss, with every touch. He knew how to seduce her, he definitely knew it.

"Danny...please, stop, okay? We can go on with that later," she almost pleaded.

But instead of listening to her, Danny turned her around with one quick motion, pressing her back against the edge of her desk.

"You sure you want me to stop?" he asked, looking her straight into her eyes.

And as much as she wanted to, Lindsay couldn't say no. The moment she felt his lips on hers, she kissed him back, almost forgetting where she was. The sensation of his body pressed against hers, his hands roaming over her body and his lips taking possession of hers where almost overwhelming. Luckily almost. Because before she could completely get lost in the kiss, she remembered where she was, and that she wasn't planning on getting fired.

And so, although it cost her a lot, she managed to pull back, trying to ignore the look he gave her.

"I'm sorry, Danny, but I really don't want to get caught," she answered. "You still have my key, right?" When he nodded, she added, "Good. Then you'll go home now. To my apartment. Make yourself comfortable, take a shower, order something to eat. Or do whatever. I'll hurry."

"I could also cook myself," Danny replied with a grin.

Lindsay raised her eyebrows at him. "Actually I didn't want you to hurt yourself."

Danny just laughed at this. "Hey, I can cook. But don't worry. I won't burn your apartment. I'll be a nice guy." And with that he placed a last, quick kiss on her lips before he headed to the door. "See you later, Montana."

"See you later," she replied.

With a smile on her face she watched him leave and walk over to the elevators. Then she turned her attention back to her file, hurrying so that she could get home as quick as possible.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated for such a long time. But I had so much to do and I had no ideas. Sorry! :)**

After two more hours of working Lindsay finally could go home. While standing in the elevator she caught herself by being excited again. She actually didn't know why she was excited, almost nervous.

But when she thought about that she had Danny sent to her apartment she couldn't help it. It was a confusing thought. She had just given him her key, to go to her home. Would he really be there, awaiting her? Or would she just come home, expecting him to be there but would find her apartment empty?

But this time Lindsay noticed the nagging doubts, rising inside her again, early enough and instantly told herself to stop thinking like that. Danny wasn't just a stranger she didn't know anything about, a man who could just step out of her life to never come back again. They worked together. And he was her friend.

No, he wouldn't treat her like this. But when she arrived at her apartment building Lindsay anyway rushed up to her floor as quick as she could.

When she entered her apartment she indeed found the huge living room left, but from how it looked like she could tell that Danny was still there. While letting her eyes wander through her apartment she couldn't help but smile amused.

Obviously he hadn't listened to her when she had told him to order some food. The kitchen was a total mess from his attempts at cooking and finding things he needed in her cupboards. It looked like he hadn't eaten yet, because two empty, clean plates were standing on the kitchen table.

Lindsay didn't need long to notice where Danny could be. Even if she hadn't heard the sound of the running shower, her apartment wasn't big enough to be somewhere else than either in the living room or in the bathroom.

For a moment she thought about waiting for him, already preparing dinner for them. But then she changed her mind. She walked over to the bathroom and carefully opened the door. She was instantly greeted by a huge amount of steam. She opened the door a bit more until she had a free view onto her shower. She couldn't see anything because of the shower curtain, but the thought alone that he was standing behind this curtain, under the shower spray and completely naked, made her want to instantly join him.

And this was what she did. Lindsay closed the bathroom door again and quickly removed her clothes. She slowly walked over to the shower stall, trying to not make him notice her. Then she carefully pulled the curtain back a bit, just enough to enter the shower stall, without him noticing her.

With his back turned towards her Danny indeed hadn't noticed her. But Lindsay was planning on changing this. She stepped closer and raised her hands. When she rested them on his shoulders she could feel how he instantly tensed, almost jumping at the sudden touch.

Without giving him the chance to comment anything she moved closed, in the same motion letting her hands move downwards to his hips. The moment her full body length got in contact with his, she tightened her grip on his hips, pulling him a bit closer.

"You're already home," Danny said, gently grabbing her hands. With one quick motion he turned around to her, and before Lindsay could react, she already felt the hard wall of the shower stall pressed against her back.

"Is that a problem?" she asked back, so quiet that even he could hardly hear her.

"Absolutely not," he answered, closing the last bit of space separating them.

Lindsay closed her eyes at the contact. This was enough encouragement for Danny to start kissing her, starting at the little hotspot right below her ear. The more kisses she received, leaving a burning trail on her sensitive skin, the more she felt herself loosing control, over herself and over the situation. Her hands instinctively closed around his neck, pulling him even closer.

"Shouldn't we…continue this…somewhere else?" she asked, biting her lips when she felt his lips brushing over the soft kiss of her collarbone.

"Why?" Danny asked back, for a short moment stopping to look at her. "Nobody can catch us here."

Lindsay chuckled, grabbing Danny's head to pull him into a deep kiss.

"Maybe, but I don't want us to get hurt here in the shower," she whispered against his lips, sighing when she felt his hands moving along her sides.

She could feel him smile before he kissed her again. She got quickly lost in the passionate kiss and so didn't even really notice when he lifted her up.

"We just have to be careful," Danny replied in a low voice, and this time Lindsay didn't contradict.

A long while later, the two where sitting in the living room on the couch again, both tightly wrapped into one of Lindsay's huge blankets, both still naked. They had just eaten the dinner Danny had cooked for them, which had been surprisingly delicious.

Now Lindsay was comfortably lying in Danny's arms, her head resting against his shoulder. They were watching a game on TV, although actually Danny was the only one who paid any attention to it.

While Danny's eyes seemed to be focused onto the screen, Lindsay used her chance to watch him. He was still a bit wet, and some water drops still clang from his hair, dropping onto his shoulders. Lindsay loved moments like this. The shower they had just shared, was still making her feel all hot inside. And sitting together like this, without any forces, just relaxing and being together, was very enjoyable.

But the comfortable silence was suddenly interrupted when Danny's cell rang. With a groan he reached over to where it was lying on the coffee table and answered it.

"Hello?" he said. "Hey Don, what can I do for you?"

He listened to the other person, obviously Flack, for a moment, before he answered, "Oh, well, that's a nice idea, but…I think I'm…not in the mood today. I had a …hard day, you know? Maybe another time." And after listening to Flack for another brief moment, he added, "Okay, see you tomorrow."

With that Danny hung up again and placed the cell back onto the coffee table. Without saying a word, he moved his position a bit until he and Lindsay were sitting in their previous position again and turned his attention back to the TV while starting to gently rub her back.

Lindsay just looked at him for a moment, not saying anything. She waited for him to speak first, to at least make a comment at the phone call. But when he hadn't said a word after minutes, she turned around a bit more, looking at him.

"Was this Flack?" she asked.

Danny, who finally turned his attention away from the TV, nodded.

"And what did he want?" Lindsay continued.

"Nothing special," Danny answered, pulling her back into his arms. "He just asked if I wanted to go out into a bar with him and Sheldon."

Lindsay slightly raised her eyebrows. "And why did you say 'no'? Actually you didn't work more than I today."

"But I couldn't say I didn't want to meet them, right?" Danny asked back, seeming a bit confused by her questions.

"You didn't want to meet them?" Lindsay asked surprised. Actually she had thought that one of Danny's favourite hobbies was going out with his friends and she wondered why he would say 'no' to that. "I'm sure you could have watched the game together with them first."

The look Danny then gave her revealed that now he was completely confused by her.

"I didn't say 'no' because I wanted to watch the game," he answered. "I said it because I want to stay here, with you, tonight."

Hearing this comment, Lindsay couldn't help but blush. She really hadn't expected this answer, and she wondered why.

"That's nice," she replied. "But…you could have met them. Really. We're together almost every night. I mean, I love it when you're here, but if you…"

"Lindsay," Danny interrupted her. "I want to be here, together with you, okay? I can go out with them another time, when I want it. Now I just want to be here, okay?"

Lindsay just stared at Danny for a second before she nodded. Then she finally rested her head back against his shoulder again. While he continued watching the game, she thought about the conversation they had just had. For some reason his reaction had surprised her. Sure, she knew that he liked spending time with her, but that he preferred doing this instead of meeting his friends was new to her. And she couldn't deny that it made her happy. This evening seemed to get even more perfect than she had expected. But she couldn't help but think that this could change soon.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing!**

Since Lindsay was together with Danny, she had thought that what they had was just fun, without any responsibility. She thought that having a love affair was much easier than she had expected. But then she learnt that she might have been wrong with that.

The first time Lindsay noticed that maybe she was reading more into the affair than she had imagined, was, when she and Danny had to question a witness of one of their murder cases.

The woman had been around her age, a beautiful blonde with sparkling blue eyes. Lindsay didn't need much imagination to know that the woman had interest in Danny. All the time they were questioning her, she only had her eyes focused on him, smiling the whole time. Even when Lindsay asked her something, the woman did hardly turn her attention away from Danny.

Lindsay didn't know how Danny thought about her, but according to his look, she was pretty sure that he at least wasn't disinterested.

And although Lindsay hadn't thought that she'd think like this, she suddenly felt a slight anger rising inside her all the time they were questioning the woman. She was almost shocked by what she was feeling. Was she really jealous?

On their way back to the lab, Lindsay couldn't help but think about this. Yes, she was sure that what she had felt, and actually was still feeling, had been jealousy. But why? Hadn't she and Danny agreed that they just wanted to stay friends while having sex here and there? Sure, she had told him to just wait and see which route their relationship would take, but was this already really getting more serious for her after only one week?

The thoughts about that were confusing Lindsay, and she couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of the day. She tried to tell herself that she had just overreacted a bit and that this meant nothing. Actually she still wasn't planning on having a real relationship with Danny, so there was no need to worry.

But as much as Lindsay tried to convince herself, she couldn't deny that she didn't like the idea of Danny being interested in another woman.

It was around 10 pm when Lindsay finally entered her apartment again. This day definitely hadn't belonged to one of her favourites and she was glad that she was finally back home again.

She locked her door and just dropped her jacket and her shoes next to it before she let herself fall onto her couch. She had to admit that she felt a bit strange; during the last time she and Danny had spent every evening together. But today she hadn't really talked about personal stuff with him, and also hadn't made any plans for the evening. And actually she was glad that she was alone, because for some reason she was still not in the mood to talk to him.

Lindsay stayed on her couch for a few minutes until she stood up again and removed her clothes to put her home clothes on. She wasn't expecting any visitors tonight, and after maybe eating a bit for dinner she just wanted to go to bed.

But her plans were changed again when her doorbell rang. She knew who her visitor was but she still wanted to be alone. But she also couldn't just let him stand outside her door and so she stood up to let him in.

"Hey Montana," Danny greeted her while entering her apartment. Like always, he removed his jacket and his shoes before he walked over to her couch. But this time he didn't just sit down but turned around to her again, giving her a look that instantly made her feel uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"What? Uh…of course. Why?" Lindsay asked back, blushing. How was it possible that he always knew when something was going on.

"Oh, I don't know," he answered, raising his eyebrows at her. "Maybe because you didn't really talk much to me today. And you didn't ask me if I wanted to come over to your place tonight, or if you should come to me. You just went home. Are you mad at me or something?"

Lindsay needed a moment before she could answer. What else had she expected? She was a person who couldn't hide her feelings, and so they almost every time affected her behaviour. And of course he had noticed this. Now she could just tell him what she was thinking about. But in her eyes it seemed a bit childish and so she thought denial would be the best to do.

"I'm not mad at you, why should I?" she asked back, trying to smile.

"Maybe because of the woman we had to question this morning?" he shot back, causing Lindsay to stare at him in shock.

"What?" she managed to say, not believing what he had said. He didn't have the gift to read her mind, did he?

"Lindsay, do you think I'm blind? Or stupid? I noticed that you behaved weird since we left her apartment again. What was your problem?"

"I didn't have a problem, okay?" Lindsay answered, desperately hoping that she wasn't blushing again.

"Oh, no?" Danny asked, staring her straight into her eyes.

"No," Lindsay tried to defend herself. "Why should I have a problem when you talk to another woman? Especially when she's a witness?"

To her confusion, she saw how a smile suddenly lit his face.

"Sorry, but I don't believe that. So why don't you just be honest?" he asked, walking over to her.

"Because you're wrong," Lindsay answered, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Why should I have a problem with you talking to other women, huh? You can do whatever you want. There's no problem with you…being interested in another woman. Because…we're not together, you forgot? We…we agreed that we're just friends. And we have some fun with each other. But we can anyway do what we want. You can be interested in other women, you can go out with them, if you want you can even sleep with them! Do what you want, we don't have any rules of behaviour or something."

As much as Lindsay had tried to sound convinced, she knew that she wasn't. But this was one of the disadvantages of their relationship. There indeed were no rules; actually they could do what they wanted.

"So you want to tell me that it'd be okay to you if I met another woman? Or even slept with her?" Danny asked, raising his eyes in disbelief.

"You can do what you want," Lindsay answered, a bit harsher than she had planned to. She had started this and agreed with this, now she had no right to complain. She should have thought about that earlier. And to sound not too unbelievable she added, "Do what you want, I have the same rights like you." Although she knew that she'd never even think about touching another man than him.

"Oh, okay," Danny replied, again stepping closer to her. "But what if I don't agree with that?"

"What if you don't agree with that?" Lindsay asked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, exactly," he answered, now standing directly in front of her. He gently took her hands in his. "What if I don't want you to meet other guys?"

"Would be a bit unfair if only you had the right, huh?" Lindsay almost whispered, their eyes still locked. This conversation was getting too much for her.

"And what if I don't want to meet other women as well?" he continued. When Lindsay didn't respond but just continued staring at him, he added, "Lindsay, only because we're no official couple doesn't mean anything. And if you're honest, you don't really want this, right? Or have you already met other guys?"

Lindsay shook her head. "No…I…had enough to do with you."

When Danny laughed at this, she chuckled as well. He gently squeezed her hands, before he continued, "Lindsay, I don't know what you're thinking about the two of us, or about how it is to have an affair. Only because we haven't made any rules or something doesn't mean we can flirt or meet others. I'm no fan of having more than one partner, believe me. I want to be together with you, and with nobody else. Not even for a one-night-stand."

"So you…want us to make a rule? A rule that we're only allowed to flirt, meet, date and have sex with each other?"

Danny nodded. "Exactly. As long as it's okay to you of course."

Lindsay laughed and nodded as well. "Of course I agree with you."

Around an hour later, the two where lying in Lindsay's bed, like almost all the nights before. Their talk had helped them a lot, and they felt much more comfortable with each other now.

"You weren't really okay with me meeting other women, right?" Danny asked after several minutes while gently rubbing her back.

Lindsay couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Honestly? Of course not. And just to let you know, I'd never meet another guy than you, or even touch or kiss him."

Danny chuckled as well. "I knew it. So why did you tell me the opposite?"

"I don't know," Lindsay answered, shrugging. "Maybe I thought it's normal when you…don't have a real relationship."

"Then it's good that we finally clarified this."

"Definitely."

With that they were silent again, just lying in each others arms. Lindsay was glad that she and Danny had talked about this topic. And she also had noticed that obviously they seemed to be closer than she had expected.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! It's nice to know what you're thinking.**

With every passing day, Lindsay more and more enjoyed her relationship with Danny. They didn't really talk about what was happening between the two of them, they just enjoyed being together.

To her surprise, Lindsay noticed that the way everything between them went, was exactly how she wanted it. Sure, she knew that a love affair wasn't what she wanted to have for the next years, but for the current time it was perfect. It was much easier to handle than a normal relationship and she anyway got the nearness and attention she enjoyed so much.

But with the time she got the feeling that something between her and Danny was changing. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew that something was different. First she had thought that maybe it was because of her. But the longer she thought about it, the more she realized that he was the one who was changing.

It was almost midnight when Lindsay entered the break room. She wasn't a big fan of working the nightshift, and she was already so tired that she was afraid to fall asleep when she sat down for too long. Maybe a nice cup of coffee would help her.

While Lindsay was waiting for the coffee machine to finish, she could feel how her mind started to get dizzy. She needed her whole willpower to not just close her eyes and fall asleep. In her current shape she even didn't care if she was sleeping while standing, or in the middle of the break room.

Lindsay was so busy with keeping herself on staying awake that she didn't notice Danny entering the break room as well. She only noticed him when he stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Hey," he said in a low voice, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder.

"Hey," she greeted back, quickly looking through the glass walls to see if nobody was near to see them. "What are you doing here? I thought, you had some paperwork to do. When I left, you still had a huge stick of files."

"I know," Danny replied, pulling her a bit closer. "But it's boring without you."

With that he started to place gentle kisses along her neck. Lindsay, actually tired, instantly was fully awake again. The sensation of her lover kissing her never missed its affect on her. Biting her lips to stay quiet, she squeezed her eyes shut, just for a moment, to allow him and herself a brief moment of pleasure.

But the little teasing quickly started to heat up, and so Lindsay hadn't even a chance to think about contradicting when Danny suddenly spun her around, pressing her against the counter. The moment she wanted to say something, his lips already met hers. As much as Lindsay had sworn to herself to never get intimate with him at the lab again, she knew that if he continued what he was just doing, she wouldn't be able to pull back anymore.

And, as hard as it was for her, she somehow managed to get apart from him. Giving him an excusing smile, she said, "I'm sorry, I'd love to go on with this, but…you know, we're still at the lab, and…people could see us."

"Who should see us?" Danny asked back, raising an eyebrow at her. "We're almost alone in the building, and I can't see anyone passing the break room at the moment."

"Yeah, but this can change quickly."

"Maybe," Danny answered, and with a smirk added, "But…actually you shouldn't worry about that. I mean, you also didn't worry in the locker room…"

Instantly blushing when he reminded her of their first shared intimate moment, Lindsay gently pushed him back a little.

"I know, but…as great as it was, it was very risky. Danny, only a few more hours and we can go home. And please, don't tell me you can't wait a few more hours."

Lindsay expected a comment from him, but instead of that he just rolled his eyes, giving her a look that confused her a bit.

"You think I'm just doing this here because I can't wait until we get home to have sex with you?" he asked. When he saw that she didn't understand what he was talking about, he added, "It's not just because of that. I missed you, okay? And it's not easy to play friends all day. But maybe you're right. Paperwork is waiting for me."

With that he turned around and left the break room, leaving a confused Lindsay. His sudden reaction hadn't been what she had expected. What had he just said? This wasn't about sex but because he had missed her? And why had he said it was hard playing friends? Why playing?

It was the moment when Lindsay started to realize what was changing between them, and it was surprising her even more. From the beginning of their relationship, she had always thought that she'd be the one who'd maybe start to read too much into what was happening between them. She had never expected that Danny would be the one who'd do that. Was it possible that he started to feel more than he had at the beginning? And, what was also important, did she feel more, too?

All these questions weren't easy to answer, but Lindsay knew that there was also something else to do. Of course she had noticed the look he had given her; almost hurt. She didn't want him to be hurt, and she had to talk to him.

And so Lindsay quickly went back to their shared office, where Danny was already sitting behind his desk, his full attention seeming to be at the file in front of him. She quietly entered the room and sat down across him. She watched him for a moment before she started to speak.

"I'm sorry," she just said.

Danny looked up from his file, giving her a confused look. "Why?"

"I didn't want to hurt you with my reaction," Lindsay answered. First she hadn't been sure what to say to him, but while looking at him, she suddenly knew it. "Danny, this wasn't against you. I just don't want to be caught by Mac or someone else. But…I missed you, too." She gave him a little smile. Yes, she really had.

"It's okay," Danny then answered, smiling back at her.

They remained looking at each other for a moment, both quiet. They could clearly feel that there was something unspoken between them, something they had never really thought about before. And again it was Lindsay who broke the silence.

"Maybe we should talk when we're at home," she said and Danny nodded in agreement.

When they went back to work, Lindsay needed a moment to get her concentration back. She knew that she and Danny had to talk. About their relationship. It was changing, that was for sure. And if they wanted to go on with it, they had to figure out how.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!  
**

Lindsay knew that she and Danny had to talk. Soon. As soon as possible, because she didn't like things to be unspoken between them. But it looked like this talk had to wait.

When Lindsay finally managed to leave the lab, it was already 2 am, and Danny still had to work. All she wanted at this moment was sleeping. Hardly able to keep her eyes open, she took a cab. Finally at home, she just removed her clothes, dropping them on her way to her bed, before she slid under her blanket and with a relieved sigh closed her eyes to get the sleep she needed so much.

Lindsay didn't know how long she had slept. She just knew that she was woken by a very annoying sound. Assuming that it was her alarm clock, Lindsay reached over to the bedside table, just to find out that she might have slept for not even an hour yet. Realizing that the sound hadn't come from the alarm clock, she just wanted to lie down again, not paying any attention what else could have woken her up.

But then she heard the nagging sound again, and this time she realized what it was. Her doorbell. With her mind still dizzy from sleeping, Lindsay managed to stand up and slowly walked over to the door. Who the hell was waking her up in the middle of the night?

She immediately got the answer when she mumbled her, "Who's there?"

"It's me. May I come in?"

When Lindsay recognized Danny's voice, her eyes went wide in surprise. Even though she maybe could have known it, she hadn't expected him to come over to her place tonight. It was late, very late, and she didn't expected him to want to talk to her now.

"Sure," she answered, rubbing her hands over her eyes before she opened her door.

"Hey," Danny greeted her, a slight guilt appearing on his face. "Sorry that I woke you up."

Even with her mind not completely working yet, Lindsay instantly realized that he seemed to feel pretty uncomfortable. She could practically see the thoughts running through his mind and feel how insecure he was. Possibly the reason why he didn't just enter her apartment like usually but remained standing in her doorway.

"It's okay. Come in," Lindsay answered, stepping aside to allow him to walk into her living room.

After hesitating for a moment, Danny did what she had told him, but again stopped after a few steps, still seeming to be unsure about what to do next. Everything in his body language told Lindsay that he was fighting with himself, trying to force himself to act, but not being able to do or even say anything. But the embarrassing silence between them wouldn't help them as well.

And so, after another brief moment, Lindsay started, "I didn't expect you'd come over to my place tonight, after such a long shift. I thought you also wanted nothing else than sleeping." And after hesitating for a second, she added, "And about the talk..."

"I'm not here because of our talk," Danny interrupted her. "And I know, it's pretty late. I...didn't come here because I wanted anything. I just...want to stay here tonight. Your...apartment was the closest place from work, but if you mind me being here, I can also go, it's no problem..."

While listening to what he was saying, Lindsay suddenly noticed a feeling rising inside her, a feeling that first confused her a bit. She knew that her apartment being closer to the lab was nothing else than an excuse, and not even true. But she believed him that he wasn't there for talking, or even for sex. There was something else, and the look in his eyes tore on the strings of her heart. Although she didn't even know why. But the whole situation was touching her.

"Of course I don't mind," she finally said after another moment of silence. "You can stay here. It's okay."

A light smile lit Danny's face when he responded, "Thank you."

Lindsay nodded, mirroring his smile. "Good. Then hurry and lets get to bed, I'm hardly able to keep my eyes open."

With that she walked back to her bed and climbed under the blanket while Danny started to remove his clothes. While watching him, Lindsay couldn't help but think that she was glad he had come. During the last time she had gotten used to being together with him. Sure, she had slept pretty good, but knowing that he was there and would be there the next morning was much better.

A moment later, Danny joined her in bed, instantly pulling her into his arms, like always. Lindsay made herself comfortable in his embrace until her head was resting on his chest, his arms tightly wrapped around her. They lay like this for a while, none of them talking a word, but both suddenly not able to sleep.

"This is definitely a first," Danny then said in a low voice.

Lindsay couldn't help but grin at this. She had known that he wouldn't be able to stay quiet.

"Why?" she asked.

"It's the first time that we're lying in your bed, dressed and without having sex."

Lindsay laughed. "Yeah, of course you had to notice that," she answered.

They both were silent, before Danny spoke again, "Something is changing between us. It's not just me who sees that, right?"

Lindsay hesitated for a moment before she answered, "Yes, I'm seeing this, too."

"And what do you think? Is this bad?"

"Why should it be? Changing doesn't always mean that something becomes worse."

"Good to know," Danny replied with a low voice.

Lindsay didn't respond to that. She could feel that he was worrying. Worrying about what was going on in his mind, worrying about how their relationship was changing. And she could understand him. Because she had done the same. But the longer she thought about this topic, the more she realized that it wasn't just him who was changing. She was doing it, too. And she agreed with herself; although she wasn't sure about what was going on, she couldn't help but think that it wasn't that bad.

"You know what?" she then said, moving a bit. "We'll talk about that tomorrow, okay? Then we'll have enough time. Now we should really sleep. What do you say?"

"Sounds good," was Danny's response.

Lindsay nodded, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on his lips in the darkness. Then she lay down on his chest again. But although she was still very tired, Lindsay needed a moment until she could finally fall asleep. There was something she just couldn't stop thinking about. It was the feeling she had felt earlier when Danny had told her he wanted to stay. The fact that he had wanted to be near her, without having a reason for that, had caused a feeling deep inside her that had surprised her. And actually she didn't have to find out what this feeling was. Lindsay knew that the talk she and Danny would have the next day, would be very important.

**A/N: Next chapter will be the talk.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Keep on doing that!**

The next morning, Lindsay was again woken up by a shrill sound. This time she instantly noticed that it was her alarm clock, which she had forgotten to switch off before, although she didn't have to work at this day. But before she could even think about moving to switch it off, she felt a movement next to her. A moment later, everything was silent again. She felt another movement before two arms wrapped around her body again.

Lindsay's eyes remained closed when she felt how Danny pulled her back in his arms, holding her in a tight embrace. With her back resting against his chest and his arms closed in front of her stomach, she felt his warm breathe, tickling on her neck and causing her to shudder lightly. For a moment she wished they could lie like this forever; holding each other, being so close.

But when her thoughts started to drift away, Lindsay remembered what had happened the night before. She remembered what had happened in the break room and how Danny had come over to her place after work. She knew that they still had to talk, and that this talk might be difficult, for both of them.

And while lying in her lover's arms, Lindsay felt uncomfortable again. She was confused. Confused by what had happened during the last hours. Danny's reaction and the realisation that he might have stronger feelings than she had expected, had surprised her first. But the more she had thought about it, the more she had also realized that she didn't even know what she herself was feeling. Was it possible that all the time she had just told herself that she was okay with a love affair although she wasn't?

One thing was clear; despite what she had thought first, he hadn't been the only one who had changed. After what had happened between them in the break room, and especially after what she had felt when he had come over to her place the night before, she was pretty sure that there was more than she had ever expected.

Although Lindsay hadn't even opened her eyes yet, she could feel that after switching the alarm clock off, Danny hadn't fallen asleep again. Also not able to get back to sleep again, Lindsay turned a bit until she could face him, her gaze instantly meeting his.

"Hey," she said, almost whispering. She shuddered lightly, surprised by the intensity and depth in his eyes.

"Hey," he simply replied, rising one of his hands to gently stroke through her hair.

They remained looking in each other's eyes, both silent. The emotions flowing between them were undeniable. They had spent many moments like this, just staring at each other. There had always been this special tension between them; a strong sexual tension which both couldn't resist. But now it was different. There was something else, and it was so intense that Lindsay wondered how they might ever be able to talk about what was happening between them.

After what had to be several minutes, Lindsay decided to break the silence.

"How did you sleep?" she asked, tearing her eyes away from his.

"Good. What about you?"

"Good, too. I was really tired."

"Yeah, me too. I'm glad we have the day off today."

"Oh yes. Do you want me to make breakfast?" Lindsay asked, already moving to stand up, but instead of loosening his grip around her, Danny held her even tighter.

"We're just avoiding to talk, right?" he asked, causing her to look at him again. She could just nod at this. Danny sighed lightly before he added, "What are we doing here, Lindsay? I mean, what's going on?"

"I have no idea," Lindsay answered, not sure if she was or was not glad that he had started the conversation. But now she couldn't run away anymore. "I have no idea what's happening. Everything was so…perfect all the time." She wanted to say more, but wasn't sure what she wanted to say. She wished she had the answers for all the unanswered questions in her mind. And she wished she'd be able to read his mind. To know what to say, to not scare him away.

"Last night you said changing doesn't mean something becomes worse," Danny replied. "And I think that's right. And I have the feeling it's not just me who's…feeling different."

While looking at Danny and listening to him, Lindsay could see how the expression in his eyes changed again. When he had ended she felt that he was awaiting an answer from her. An answer that revealed that their changing relationship wasn't just his fault. And at least in this point she could relieve him.

"It's not just you," Lindsay said quietly. And again her voice trailed off. She could feel a familiar feeling rising inside her again; insecurity.

She had felt like this so many times before. Especially with her former boyfriends. At the beginning everything had been okay. But after a while, when some time had passed and she had felt that the relationship was becoming more serious, at least in her eyes, she had started to feel insecure. She had been afraid, afraid to make mistakes, to loose the man. And she couldn't deny that, no matter for which reason, her feelings had been proved right; somewhere along the line they had broken up with her.

When she and Danny had gotten together, she had thought that this time it would be different. She had thought that now everything would be easier. They had agreed to stay friends, to just have sex, without any responsibilities. It had sounded to easy, and at the beginning it had worked so well. And now? Now everything was changing, and now it was becoming really difficult. And the insecurity was back again. She was afraid. Like all the times before.

Lindsay hadn't noticed how deep she had been in her thoughts, until she heard Danny talking to her again.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and when Lindsay looked at him again, she saw the concern in his eyes.

"Yes," she answered. But when she saw how he raised his eyebrows at her, she knew he wasn't believing her.

In moments like this, Lindsay usually was used to change the topic, or to find another way to escape the situation. But again she was caught, caught by the intensity in Danny's eyes. She knew he wouldn't let her get out of this. And it wasn't just his wish to clarify the situation between them. But Lindsay also knew that for this she had to be honest. And the first step would be to tell him what she was feeling, what was frightening her. And although she had sworn to herself to never talk about her deepest feelings anymore, she decided to just do it. There might be the chance to loose him, but this chance was even bigger when she just ran away again.

"This whole situation is not easy," she started, swallowing hard before she could continue. "I…I'm not good with talking about what I'm thinking, or feeling. That's why I was so grateful for what we had. We never talked about this stuff. We just enjoyed being together, having some fun. But now…now it's not like this anymore and…and I don't know what to do. I…I feel so unsure, unsure what to do, or even what to say. This between us means much to me, and I don't want to ruin it, like I ruined my relationships before. But…we can't just go on like before. And actually I'm not even sure if I want this."

When she had finished, Lindsay was surprised by how honest she had been. There was still much she had to say, but for the beginning this had been more than she had ever expected herself to reveal. For a short moment she was afraid that after her talk Danny would now step away from her.

But he didn't. Instead of that he just pulled her against him in one quick motion, closing his arms around her. Surprised by the sudden reaction, Lindsay allowed herself to accept the nearness he was giving her, excited waiting for his response.

"I have no idea why you ruined your last relationships, but let me tell you that there's no way you'll be able to do this with us," he answered after a few minutes. "And believe me, you're not the only one who's unsure. I'm not sure how many affairs you had before. For me, it's not the first time. But it's the first time that I feel like this. And it confused me, too. But the more I think about it, the more I start to enjoy it. I'm still not really sure how to call the feelings I have, but it's more than just sexual interest in you. And you have no idea how relieved I am that it's not just me who is feeling like this."

While listening to him, Lindsay felt how her insecurity finally started to shrink again. She had been afraid how he'd react to her. But instead of pushing her away he had revealed his own feelings. And suddenly the fear to talk seemed to be gone.

"What should we do now?" Lindsay asked, moving a bit until she could look up at him.

Danny shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Then tell me, what do you want? What do you want us to do?"

Danny was silent for a moment and Lindsay saw that he was thinking about her question. She was glad that she had asked it, because now it was him who'd tell her how far he wanted to go. Actually she already knew what she wanted, but it'd be easier for her to know his wishes first.

"I didn't really think about that before," he then answered. "But from how I feel now, I don't want to go on like before. Being friends and having sex isn't enough for me anymore. Of course I'm not the only one who can decide, but…if it's up to me, I'd like to…go a bit further."

Hearing his answer, Lindsay couldn't help but smile relieved. This was the answer she had hoped for.

"That sounds good," she said. "And what does 'going further' include?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should just finally admit that we're together. Not friends. We're a couple. And about the rest, I'd say we just wait and see."

Lindsay nodded. This was a good idea. And the rest, their feelings for each other, could be clarified later. "And what about the others? Should we tell them that we're together?"

"I don't think we have to tell them about us," Danny answered. "They'll find it out anyways."

"That's good, I think," Lindsay agreed.

With that she rested her head back against his chest and closed her eyes. She was incredibly relieved and had the feeling she could embrace the whole world. It had been a short talk, but it had helped them. She hadn't been sure how Danny had been thinking about her, she hadn't even been sure about her own feelings. She had been afraid, afraid to loose him.

But with his talk, Danny had managed to wipe her fear away. He hadn't left her, no, he even had suggested to finally be like a real couple. Lindsay was excited how their relationship would go on and how their co-workers and friends would react to them. And maybe some day they'd also be able to vocalize what they were feeling for each other.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing!**

**Huge thanks to HillHarperHOT for beta'ing!**

The conversation between Danny and Lindsay had helped them more than they had expected. They both knew that there was more between them than just friendship, but it hadn't been enough for a relationship. Now, a while later, this had changed.

It hadn't been easy for them to admit their feelings, especially since they still weren't sure what exactly they were feeling. All they knew was that a simple affair wasn't enough for them anymore.

This changed after their talk. It was the day after they started their relationship. The day before they had the day off, so there was no chance that any of their friends or co-workers could have seen them together. But this'd change now.

It was very early when Lindsay woke up. Like most of the time she didn't need her alarm clock, she woke up before it rang. This morning was no exception.

Blinking a few times, blinded by the bright sunshine, Lindsay managed to open her eyes. Expecting her boyfriend to still be asleep, she was surprised to find him awake.

"Hey," he greeted her, smiling while gently stroking through her hair.

"Hey," she greeted back, smiling as well. She loved moments like this. Moments when they were just looking at each other, deep into their eyes. She sometimes had the feeling she got lost in the intensity of their gazes. There was something special between them, growing every day. "Have you been awake long?"

"I'm not sure," he answered and with a grin added, "I was too busy watching you."

"Do you always watch women while they're sleeping? That's creepy," Lindsay replied, laughing. She bent forward to place a gentle kiss on his lips. "You're cute, you know that?"

"Must be your influence," he whispered, pulling her closer. Lindsay didn't even try to do anything against that. Usually she would have told him that they should get up, to get ready to go to work. But some extra minutes in bed wouldn't be that wrong, right?

Around another half an hour later, the two still hadn't managed to leave the bed. Tightly wrapped into Danny's arms, Lindsay was close to falling asleep again. One reason for that might be that their previous activity had exhausted her again. The other reason was the calming affect her boyfriend had on her.

Her head resting on his chest, heaving and falling with each of his breaths while he was gently rubbing her back, never failed to make her relax. They could lie like this for hours, neither of them saying a word.

"Who do you think will find out first?" Danny asked into the silence.

"Hm, I'm not sure," Lindsay answered, shrugging. "Until now nobody seems to even suspect anything."

She felt how Danny changed their positions until they were facing each other.

"Yeah, because we were hiding it," he replied, smirking. "But I won't hide anything anymore."

Lindsay raised her eyebrows at him. "That means?" she asked, trying to not grin, remembering what they had already done at the lab.

Danny laughed. "Don't worry. Not what you're thinking, naughty girl."

And before she could react, she was on her back, her grinning boyfriend on top of her. "That's what we have our beds for," he said and kissed her.

When Danny and Lindsay finally managed to leave Lindsay's apartment, they had to hurry to not be late at work. Although they didn't have a problem with the others finding out about the two of them, being caught by arriving late together wasn't what they wanted.

On their way to work, Lindsay could feel a slight nervousness rising inside her again. She was glad that she and Danny had agreed to start a normal relationship and to stop trying to be friends. But the two of them weren't just together in their spare time, they were also working together. They were co-workers. Sure, they'd avoid letting their relationship affect their work, and they'd continue being professional, but although she was trying to tell herself that she shouldn't care about it, she couldn't stop thinking about what the other people at the lab might think. About her, and about them. Lindsay knew that she wasn't the only woman at work who had an interest in Danny. And she was still pretty new. What would they say if they found out that she and Danny were a couple?

"What are you worrying about?"

Danny's sudden and unexpected question almost made Lindsay jump. What had he just asked?

"Uh...what do you mean?" she asked back, blushing slightly.

"You look as if you're worrying about something," Danny explained. "And I want to know why."

Lindsay just stared at him for a moment. What had she thought? Of course he'd notice that something was going on. It was like he could smell it. But what should she say? Lindsay tried to find an excuse, just to realize that this was exactly the wrong way. If they wanted to have a solid relationship, they had to be honest. Both of them.

"I was just...thinking about...how they might react. At work. I mean, you know how much some of them gossip."

Danny just shrugged. "Who cares? I'm pretty sure I know how our friends will react. Okay, Mac maybe will tell us to not let it affect our work, but that's all. And the others? Who cares about what they're thinking?"

He threw a short glance at Lindsay, who still wasn't completely convinced. He sighed.

"Lindsay, why is it so important what they're thinking? You're right, gossiping is one of their favourite hobbies. But no matter what you're doing, they'll always find a reason to do that. You should just ignore them, like I do. And if they're mean to you, just tell me, and I'll show them it's bad to mess with my girl."

Lindsay couldn't help but laugh at this. "I think I can handle them on my own," she replied. "But now tell me, how is it possible that you always know what to say to change my mind or to cheer me up?"

"It's just another one of my talents," he answered with a grin, causing them both to laugh.

When they finally reached the lab, just in time to not be late, Lindsay felt much better. She was still a bit nervous, but she had to admit that Danny was right. Why should she care about what others were saying? She and Danny had decided to be a couple; they had no right to say anything against that. And the knowledge that Danny didn't care and that their relationship meant so much to him made Lindsay feel even better.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! So, who'll find out first?**

**Thanks to HillHarperHOT for beta'ing!**

While standing in the elevator, Lindsay felt a mix of nervousness and excitement rising inside her. It was the first time she and Danny were in the public as a real couple. On one side she couldn't wait to see their friend's reaction, to find out if anyone already had suspected anything. On the other side she was still a bit afraid.

The elevator had almost reached their floor when Lindsay felt how Danny gently grabbed her hand. She turned around to him, seeing the slight grin he was giving her.

"You can't stop, right?" he asked. "Stop being nervous. Even Mac won't say anything bad. You're spending too much time with worrying."

"Yeah, I do," Lindsay agreed with him. He was right. Worrying seemed to be one of her hobbies; why else was she doing it that often?

But the moment the elevator doors opened, she couldn't help but pull her hand away. She gave him an excusing smile, relieved noticing his understanding look. They were together for a while now, and he had gotten used to her behaviour; behaviour he sometimes didn't understand but accepted. Although she had changed a lot since moving to New York, some of her old habits, like worrying and easily getting insecure were still there.

The first few hours of Danny and Lindsay shift's passed quickly. Mac had put them on different cases again, and Lindsay couldn't deny that it relieved her a bit. As much as she loved being Danny's girlfriend, not just his lover, she was still a bit afraid of taking the step of showing the others that they were together.

After a while, when Lindsay had just returned from a crime scene, she headed to the locker room to change her shirt. While opening her locker, she couldn't help but let her eyes wander through the room and over to the wall to the right of her, where she and Danny had been intimate for the first time. Whenever she looked at it, the memories instantly coming back, and she blushed. How lucky they had been that nobody had caught them. But maybe they wouldn't have even noticed. Now Lindsay couldn't believe what had happened after that day. They hadn't just continued what they had started, they were together now.

They were together. Like a real couple, not just friends with benefits. The thought of this alone was making her feel all warm inside.

"Lindsay?" a voice, a female voice, suddenly interrupted her.

Lindsay spun around, with huge eyes looking at Stella. Obviously she had been so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't heard her coming in.

"Hey, are you okay?" Stella asked a light concern in her eyes.

"Uh...sure, why?" Lindsay asked back, blushing even more.

"Oh, I was just wondering, because you seemed to be so...distracted."

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about something. Nothing special," Lindsay replied with a smile.

Stella nodded. "So where's Danny?" she then asked.

"What?" Lindsay just stared at Stella. What had she just asked her? "I...uh, no idea. Why should I know that?"

"Oh, I thought you might know. You guys are spending a lot of time together," Stella replied, grinning lightly. When Lindsay continued staring at her with huge eyes, she added, "Well, don't misunderstand me, I'm not observing you. And maybe I'm totally wrong. But is it really just coincidence that the two of you work the same shift almost every day, and that whenever I ask you to go out and you say 'no', he has no time as well? Oh, and the two of you arrived at work several times together. So my guess is that...maybe there's a bit more between you than you've told us?"

Lindsay needed a moment before she could respond to that. She was stunned by Stella's honest and also very true observation. For a brief moment she thought about an excuse, a logical explanation. But what for? And after taking a deep breath, Lindsay did what she had been afraid about.

"You're right," she finally answered. "Danny and I...we...we're together."

"Really?" Stella's eyes went wide, not in surprise but excitement. "Oh, that's great. But to be honest, it was clear that this would happen."

"It was?" Lindsay surprised raised her eyebrows. Where they so obvious?

"Yes. Well, the two of you...you just have this natural chemistry whenever you're together in the same room. Since the first day. It's really true," Stella answered. With two long steps she walked over to Lindsay, and before the younger woman could react, she hugged her tight. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you," Lindsay replied, hugging her friend back, smiling relieved. And again she realized that Danny had been right. Telling the truth hadn't been as difficult as she had expected.

--

During the rest of their shift, Danny and Lindsay didn't get any opportunities to even have the smallest talk. Lindsay had been relieved about that earlier, but now started to miss him. She always did when they didn't see each other for more than a couple of hours, and like always she was impressed by how close they seemed to be.

It was around 6 pm when she was standing in the break room, waiting for her coffee to finish. She noticed her boyfriend's presence the moment he entered the room. He didn't say a word, and with her back still in his direction, she could practically feel him approaching. A moment later, she felt how two arms wrapped around her, first carefully, allowing her the chance to pull back, then more firmly.

"Hey," Danny whispered into her ear, kissing her onto her cheek while pulling her close against him. "I missed you, baby."

"I missed you, too," Lindsay answered, turning her head to kiss him on his lips. "What?" she asked when she saw the grin he gave her.

"I was just wondering- you just allow me to be that close to you, even though everyone could see us?"

Lindsay chuckled. "Yes, I do. Because my earlier behaviour was stupid. Oh, and Stella knows. Even without catching us."

"She knows?" Danny asked surprised.

"Yes, she does. We were a bit too obvious with working the same shifts and spending so much time together."

"And is it okay with you that she knows?"

"Yes, it is," Lindsay answered, this time really meaning it. It was okay to her. She even had reached a point where everyone could know about them- she didn't care.

"But you know- now that Stella has found out, the whole lab will know at the end of the day."

"Good for us, so we don't have to tell them," Lindsay replied, turning around in his arms to pull Danny into a deep kiss. Yes, telling Stella first definitely had its advantages.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! So Stella knows, who'll find out next?**

**Thanks to HillHarperHOT for beta'ing!**

After their shift ended and Danny and Lindsay had gone back home, they planned on having a nice and quiet evening, just for relaxing a bit. They had just sat down on their favourite place on the couch, when suddenly Danny's cell rang. Lindsay moved a bit in his arms, looking up and waiting for his reaction, but he seemed to not even hear it.

"Danny?" she asked, causing him to look at her as if not knowing what she wanted.

"What?"

"What? Uh, your cell is ringing?"

"Who cares?" Danny simply said, now causing Lindsay to look surprised.

"Danny, would you please answer your cell?" she asked. "It might be important!"

Danny sighed deeply, but then did what his girlfriend had told him.

"Hello?" he mumbled in his phone.

_Hey, it's me, Flack. I hope I'm not...disturbing._

"No, you're not, don't worry," Danny answered, raising his eyebrows at his friend's comment. "What can I do for you?"

_Oh, nothing special. I was just thinking you maybe would like to go out to a bar with us, for a few drinks._ And after a brief moment he added, _and you don't have to come alone, of course._

Danny looked at Lindsay, who was sitting so close that she could listen to what Flack was saying. Actually he wanted to say 'no', but when he saw her mouthing 'say yes' and gave him a huge grin, he nodded.

"Okay, I'll come. Just tell me where and when."

After he had hung up, Danny looked back at Lindsay again, who was still grinning.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," she answered, trying to not laugh. "I just love that Flack told you 'you don't have to come alone'."

"You think Stella already told them?"

"Do you really have to ask? Of course she did. And now they want to find out if it's true. So what do you think, will we give them what they want to know?"

Danny shrugged. "I'm not sure. What do you think?"

Lindsay grinned even more. "Oh, I'd say it'll be a lot of fun. Especially, for us."

When he gave her a confused look, she couldn't help but laugh. Yes, she was excited to see their friend's reaction. On their way to the bar, they agreed that they didn't want to be too obvious. They were pretty sure that they knew about them, and they wanted to tease them a bit before they showed that they were indeed together.

When Danny and Lindsay entered the bar, they were already awaited. Flack, Hawkes and Adam were sitting at one table, looking at them excitedly. Lindsay needed her whole willpower to not laugh or grin too much.

Men, she thought. They are so easy. The moment Flack had called she knew what the guy's plan was. And now she could tell from their looks that she was right.

"Hey," Flack greeted them. "Looks like you really didn't come alone."

"Yeah, I thought I might ask Lindsay if she wanted to join us. She's still pretty new to the city."

Lindsay had to bite her lips when she saw the disappointed look appearing on all of the three men's faces. This hadn't been the answer they had hoped for. But it was part of their plan. They wouldn't get their answers that easily.

The next hour the five friends spent with talking and joking. Danny and Lindsay both tried to be as careful as possible, to not show too much intimacy between them. They already were skilled in doing that from the time before they had gotten together officially. Of course Lindsay knew from Stella that almost the whole lab seemed to at least suspect them being together, or close. But neither of them had ever dared to ask them.

During this hour, it had happened more than once that the men had tried to lead their talks in special directions, also with mentioning that they had had a nice talk with Stella, but the couple had successfully managed to ignore them, what had caused their friends to become more and more impatient.

"I'll go get us something to drink," Danny suggested after a while.

"I'll come with you," Lindsay answered, standing up after throwing a quick glance at the other men. Satisfied she noticed that their almost disappeared interest instantly came back. She could practically feel how their eyes followed them, rested on them, watching ever of their moves.

"Looks like our plan is working good," Danny said when they were out of earshot, an amused smile on his lips.

Lindsay nodded. "So what do you say? Should we finally give them what they have been waiting for the whole time?"

They hadn't reached the bar yet, when Danny stopped, his smile turning into a grin. "Definitely," he said.

And before Lindsay could do anything, he grabbed her around her waste and pulled her close against him, his lips instantly meeting hers in a passionate kiss. Lindsay, surprised by the intensity of his reaction, instinctively kissed him back. Their kiss lasted for several minutes before they pulled away again, both breathless.

"Were we successful?" Danny asked, placing another, much softer kiss on his girlfriend's lips. Lindsay threw a short glance over his shoulder at their friends, who were staring at them with huge eyes.

"Oh yes," she answered, and with a smirk added, "I don't think they expected something like...that."

Danny just laughed at that and pulled her into another kiss. Although everyone could watch them and they had never kissed like this in public, especially not with their friends watching them as well, Lindsay was relieved. Now she knew that all of her friends knew about them. Their relationship was definitely no secret anymore. She had already felt much better when Stella found out. But now, after it was for sure that their secret was out, she knew that their relationship would be much easier for them. But she also knew that after this issue had been clarified, the next question to answer wasn't far away.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing!**

**Thanks to HillHarperHOT for beta'ing!**

After everyone at the lab had found out about their relationship, everything seemed to be much easier for Danny and Lindsay. The tension that someone could catch them, which once had been so interesting, had become exhausting and it was good for them that they didn't have to hide anything anymore.

Lindsay's only fear had been that Mac might have something against the relationship between his co-workers. But, to her relief he had just told them to not let it affect their work. Apart from that, he seemed to accept it.

Lindsay also noticed that her and Danny's behaviour had changed. They still tried to keep their personal life away from work as good as possible, but there were moments which hadn't happened before. Like when they arrived at work together, holding hands. Or their quick 'good-bye' kisses. There were tiny little gestures which showed that they were together, and Lindsay clearly enjoyed them.

During the following weeks, the two felt more relaxed and happy with their relationship than they had ever felt before. Until one day. Actually nothing special had happened, at least not in Lindsay's eyes, she had sat in the break room, late in the evening, a cup of fresh, steaming coffee in front of her. Only quarter an hour and her shift would end.

"Good evening," she was greeted by Marty Pino, who just entered the break room as well, straight heading over to the coffee machine.

"Hey," Lindsay greeted back, looking up from her cup. "What are you doing here? Didn't your shift just end?"

"Yes, it did, but I wanted to have some coffee before I go, I don't even remember when I had my last one," Pino answered, filling his coffee cup. Lindsay surprised raised her eyes.

"And so you decided to have some...break room coffee?" she answered in a disbelieving voice causing him to laugh.

"Well, actually I really wanted to buy some...real coffee, but I saw you sitting here, alone, and thought some company would be nice."

Now it was Lindsay who laughed, while Pino joined her at her table.

"So, where's your boyfriend?" he asked.

"He's in his office, why?" Lindsay asked back.

"Oh, just because we hardly see the two of you without each other," he answered, causing Lindsay to blush. She couldn't deny that he was right with that; even though they didn't do it on purpose, there were barely any minutes when they were not together. Even when they were working different cases, they always found a few minutes to spend them with each other.

"Is it that bad?" she asked, blushing a bit more. She didn't know why she asked that, because like Danny had told her over and over again; she shouldn't care. But she wanted to know what others thought about them.

"No, why should it be bad?" Pino answered, taking a sip of his coffee. "The two of you are a cute couple. Although it's also a bit sad..."

"Why sad?"

Pino laughed again, before he grinned at her. "Because now there's no way for you to give me a chance, but don't tell Danny about that."

Lindsay couldn't help but blush even more, although she of course knew that this was just a joke. But she agreed with him- it was better if he didn't make comments like this in front of Danny.

"But for the case it doesn't work with the two of you, just tell me," Pino added, playfully waggling his eyebrows, causing Lindsay to chuckle.

"Forget it, this will never happen," she shot back at him.

They spent a few more minutes talking before Pino left to go home and Lindsay went back to her and Danny's office. When she entered the room, seeing her boyfriend sitting at his desk, she instantly felt a tension in the room, a tension that hadn't been there when she had left. And she didn't feel good with it.

"Hey," she said to get his attention.

"Hey," he greeted back, without looking up at her. Confused raising her eyebrows, Lindsay sat down.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Sure."

"Then why are you acting like this?"

"What am I doing?" Danny asked back, for the first time looking up.

"Uh...it's just...you seem to be mad or something and I want to know why." Lindsay felt more and more uncomfortable.

"I'm not mad, I'm okay," Danny answered, turning his attention back to his paperwork. But he should have known Lindsay better.

"I don't believe you. What happened? You know, you can tell me."

Danny just sighed. "And what if I don't want to? Lindsay, it's okay."

"It's not," she replied, still not wanting to give up. "You are mad at me. You sound like this. And since when do you call me Lindsay?"

"Okay, you know what? Yes, I am a bit annoyed. I saw you, with Pino. I hope the two of you had a nice little flirt." Danny had looked up again, now looking straight into Lindsay's eyes.

Lindsay couldn't help but stare back at him. What? He was thinking she had flirted with him?

"I didn't flirt with him, I just talked to him!" Lindsay answered, a bit louder than wanted.

"It didn't look like this in my eyes."

"No? Then maybe you should have looked a bit closer," Lindsay shot back. She was surprised by how she was responding to him, but she couldn't deny that what he was thinking hurt her. She hated situations like this, she had had them too often before.

"So you want to tell me you didn't flirt?" Danny asked disbelieving.

"Exactly!" Lindsay shouted, standing up from her chair. She couldn't stand this conversation; she had to get out, out of this room. "You know what? I don't have to defend myself. And I won't. If I were you I'd think before I speak, and before I read things into simple conversation. I didn't do anything wrong, and I don't have to convince you."

With that she left the office, leaving a stunned Danny, who was surprised by his girlfriend's reaction, Lindsay didn't even look back. Her shift had ended minutes ago and there was no need for her to stay at the lab any longer. But she also didn't want to go home yet. So she decided to go to one of her favourite places.

When Lindsay reached the Brooklyn Bridge, the beautiful view of the skyline in front of her, she was finally able to calm down again. She replayed the situation in the office in her mind, thinking about her reaction. Danny obviously had been jealous, and had read too much into the situation with her and Pino.

But what shocked her even more was her own reaction. She had screamed at him and in the end had just left. Lindsay knew that she might have overreacted. But while listening to Danny, she had just been hurt. Hurt that he thought she'd even think about flirting with another guy. It hadn't been the first time that someone had told her that, and Lindsay didn't know why. She had done nothing wrong.

But running away hadn't helped them either, and now they still had to talk, to clarify the situation. But as much as Lindsay wanted to talk, she couldn't make the first step. She couldn't just go back, or call him. She had no reason to defend herself, because she had done nothing wrong.

But then she remembered something, something that had happened some time ago, when they hadn't even been really together yet. She remembered how she had felt when she had seen a woman flirting with Danny while he questioned her. She had felt jealous, and mad, even though he hadn't done anything. She had treated him the same way he had this evening. For no reason, she had learned later.

And the more she thought about it, the more Lindsay realized that she was not the only one who felt hurt. She was pretty sure that Danny knew that she was together with him, and only with him. But when he had seen her with Pino, who loved flirting as much as Danny had done before, seeing them laughing and having fun, he had felt the same feeling she had felt- jealousy. Jealousy that had made him read too much into the situation.

And while realizing this, Lindsay couldn't help but understand him. In the first moment it had hurt her, what he had said. But now, after thinking about it a second time, she could understand where his reaction had come from. And she started to regret her emotional reaction. But it wasn't too late yet, and so Lindsay instantly grabbed her cell to call her boyfriend.

--

Around half an hour later, Lindsay, who was still standing on the bridge, saw Danny approaching. She couldn't really interpret the look in his eyes, but obviously he at least wasn't mad anymore.

"Hey," he said when he reached her.

"Hey," she greeted back, giving him a shy smile. "Nice that you came here. I...thought we should talk."

"Yeah, we should," Danny agreed. Lindsay nodded, stepping closer to him. When he didn't pull back, she closed her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry I freaked out. I shouldn't have run away," she started.

"It's okay," Danny answered, sounding relieved. "And I...shouldn't have said that. I didn't want to hurt you or anything, but...when I saw you...together with him..."

"I know," Lindsay replied, looking up at him. "But seriously, did you really think I'd flirt with him?"

Danny shrugged. "No idea. Who knows? I know a lot of women who...like him."

Lindsay couldn't help but smile at this. "Yeah, and I know even more who like you. And I, I like you a lot. And believe me when I tell you that I don't want anyone else. Why should I? You're just perfect. Maybe not perfect in everyone's eyes, but definitely for me. You're the perfect man for me."

"Really?" Danny asked, raising his eyebrows at her, not able to hide his satisfied grin. "And what's so perfect?"

Lindsay chuckled, resting her head back against his chest. "Everything. You're sweet, and sexy, you know how to make me laugh, and how to make me happy, and you're always able to cheer me up. Oh, and you're romantic."

"I'm not romantic."

Lindsay chuckled again. "You are. Being romantic doesn't just mean taking your girl to the opera and then into an expensive restaurant, and after that surprise her with a bedroom covered in roses. There are so many tiny moments that show that a man is romantic."

"For example?" Danny asked, now getting curious.

Lindsay didn't have to think long. "You remember the day when I had to work very long and you left me a flower on my desk? That was sweet. And then you picked me up and bought us food. This was romantic. Not because it was a big surprise or anything, just because you cared and wanted me to feel good, without awaiting anything back. Or do you remember when we had to sleep in your car?"

Now it was Danny who chuckled, obviously remembering said night. The car had broken down and they had had to sleep in the car, after 'warming each other up' in their special way.

"This was romantic?" he asked.

Lindsay nodded. "Yes, it was. It was romantic to lie in your arms, while it was raining outside, the light sparkling in the raindrops on the window. Many little moments are romantic, and you're very good with creating them."

"Okay, okay," Danny agreed with her, now grinning even more. "Looks like you really found the perfect man."

"Exactly," Lindsay replied, grinning as well. "And that's why you don't have to worry. I want you, only you."

Danny just nodded at that. They remained standing on the bridge for several more minutes, just holding each other, staring at the beautiful sight in front of them. Lindsay was glad that they had clarified the situation. Everything was good again. But while telling her boyfriend why she thought he was perfect for her, she had noticed something else. Once again it had caused a feeling deep inside her. A warm and intense feeling. And the more she thought about it the more she started to realize what this feeling was.


	20. Chapter 20

The next morning Lindsay was woken up by the alarm clock. Groaning in annoyance, she reached blindly over to the night stand until she found the offending item and managed to turn it off. She should really think about turning it off the evening before when she had a day off. But obviously she'd never learn that. She'd always forget it, especially when she was distracted by Danny.

A huge smile lit Lindsay's face when she remembered the night before. After their little fight because of Danny's jealousy, caused by her talk to Marty Pino, the two had reconnected again; in their own passionate way.

But this time it had been different, because Lindsay had discovered something deep inside her; a strong warm feeling that only Danny was able to cause. They were getting closer and closer with every passing day.

With a smile on her face she turned around. But despite her expectation she'd find her sleeping boyfriend lying next to her, she noticed that the other half of the bed was empty. Quickly she glanced at her alarm clock. 8am. She knew he had his day off as well. So why wasn't he lying next to her anymore?

Without actually knowing why, Lindsay felt a strong, uncomfortable feeling rising inside her; a mix of nervousness and fear. Where had he gone to? She knew he hadn't been on call and even if Mac had called him, he would have left a note for her. He always did. So why not this time?

Lindsay's nervousness became stronger and stronger. Maybe this was unnecessary. But what if he had suddenly changed his mind? A lot of questions were spinning in her mind. What if he was still mad at her?

She looked back at the alarm clock, seeing her cell lying next to it. She hesitated for a brief moment before she reached over and grabbed it. No matter where Danny had gone to and why, she could still call him. Hopefully he'd answer.

But before Lindsay could even press the speed dial button, she heard a noise coming from her front door. A short moment later, the door was opened and Danny entered the apartment, fighting with his key and the huge bag he was carrying.

"Damn," he cursed quietly when he finally managed to withdraw his key from the keyhole and closed the door. He turned around, a surprised expression on his face when he saw his girlfriend sitting in her bed, staring at him.

"Oh no, you're already awake?" he asked, sighing, setting the bag and the key down onto the kitchen table. "Did you forget to turn the alarm clock off again?"

When he didn't get a response from her, he looked back at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Everything okay with you?" he asked, a bit concerned.

"Where have you been?" she asked back, trying hard to control her voice. The sudden shock the fact he suddenly hadn't been there had caused inside her, was still present. But she didn't want him to notice the slight shaking in her voice.

"Oh, well, I wanted to surprise you," Danny explained, walking over to her to sit down on the edge of the bed. "I got up early so I could do some grocery shopping and then I wanted to make breakfast for you. You remember our talk about what's romantic? I thought that this might be romantic as well."

"So you…you got up and left to surprise me with breakfast?" Lindsay wanted to know.

Danny nodded. "Yes. What else did you think? I don't have to work today and otherwise I would have left you a note."

When Lindsay didn't react again, he added, concern still present in his voice, "Lindsay? What else did you expect?"

"Nothing. I…didn't expect anything," she answered, hoping he wouldn't notice she was lying. But from the expression on his face she knew he wasn't believing her. She knew him good enough to know he wouldn't stop questioning him until she'd tell him the truth. There was no way she could fool him. With a deep sigh she corrected her former statement.

"I'm not sure what I expected. To be honest…I…I was a bit afraid that…maybe you left because you were still mad at me or something."

"Why should I be mad at you?" Danny asked, not understanding what she was talking about.

"Because of our fight yesterday…"

"What?" Danny stared at her in disbelief. "I thought we clarified that yesterday. I thought everything was okay again."

"Yes, but...I thought that maybe you changed your mind."

Lindsay felt how she blushed again. Hearing herself saying what she had thought made her realise how much she had overreacted. There hadn't been a hint why he might still be mad at her. This had just been her expecting the worst again. Her idea obviously was difficult to understand for Danny; for him there was no reason why he should still be mad at her.

"Lindsay," he said after a moment of silence. "I would never just run away. We talked about our fight and everything's alright again. And even if I still had a problem, I would talk to you and not just go without saying a word."

"I'm sorry," Lindsay replied quietly, blushing even more. But Danny shook his head. He moved closer to her so he could pull her into his arms.

"It's alright, don't worry. But could you do me a favour? Could you please just trust in me? The way you want me to trust in you as well?"

When Lindsay nodded, he pulled her back a little to look at her.

"Everything okay again?"

"Yes."

Danny smiled at her. "That's good."

With that he bent down to her to kiss her gently. Lindsay instantly forgot how bad she had felt earlier. Maybe she should finally learn to worry less and to trust more. It would make a lot of things easier for her.

"Alright. Well, obviously my surprise didn't really work," Danny said, looking a little disappointed.

"But the idea was very romantic," Lindsay replied, smiling amused at the smile that lit his face.

"Oh yeah? Okay. You know what? You'll just stay here in bed now and I'll finish breakfast."

With that Danny stood up and headed back into the kitchen, leaving a still smiling Lindsay sitting in her bed, watching him. She was incredibly relieved her expectations had been wrong. And next to this relief she also felt the intense warm feeling again; a feeling the two of them possibly would have to talk about soon.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Sorry that I needed so long to update this story. Here's finally the next chapter. Enjoy! And thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**

"I have to admit, you're great with making breakfast," Lindsay said after she and Danny had finished eating. Satisfied, she set the plates away before she snuggled back into Danny's arms. She was still relieved that their fight from the day before was now clarified and the fact Danny hadn't been at her place when she had woken up had been caused by him wanting to surprise her.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Danny asked after the two of them had been silent for a couple of minutes.

Lindsay shrugged. "I have no idea. Any plans?" She paused for a moment before she added, "Do you maybe want to meet someone? I mean...you don't have to be around me all day when you have a day off."

"I know," Danny answered, slight confusion in his voice. "But why should I go and meet someone else? I do that more than often enough when we have to work different shifts. I want to be together with you the few times we don't have to work at the same time."

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, that's true. I was just thinking...well, never mind."

But she didn't even have to look at Danny to know that her last answer had caught his attention. There was a slight insecurity in her voice, and she knew that he knew her good enough to immediately notice it.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," Lindsay answered, although she knew this would just made him even more suspicious. And she was right. She felt how Danny turned her around until she was almost lying on top of him, looking him straight into his questioning eyes.

"What's the matter, huh?" he asked, gently wiping one lose curl out of her face, in the same motion stroking her cheek. "Don't you want me to be here all the time? It's okay. Just tell me though. I cannot read your mind, sweetie."

But that was not what Lindsay had meant with her statement. Not at all.

"No, it's not that. Absolutely not," she answered determined. "I just...don't want you to think you have to be here all day when you'd rather like to do something else. If that makes any sense."

"It does," Danny replied, all the time keeping his eyes locked with hers. "But I don't understand it. I mean, why should I be here without wanting it? Lindsay, you should know I love being with you, as much as possible. Is there any reason why I shouldn't?"

Lindsay only shrugged in response. What should she answer? That somehow she was still afraid he could suddenly change his mind, although she didn't have a reason to think that? Should she tell him her insecurity, caused by her previous relationships, was still making her doubt them, although he tried everything to show her he enjoyed being with her? Yes, maybe she should. The question was how.

"What are you thinking about now?" Danny asked, gently stroking through her hair. "Talk to me. I always thought I'm a quiet person, but you're even worse than me."

At first, all Lindsay could do was releasing a sigh. She knew he was right. And talking wasn't that difficult. Just open the mouth and say it. And so she took another deep breath and started.

"I know, it's kinda stupid," she started, but was instantly interrupted.

"Don't start like that," Danny said. "There are a lot of things I also could tell you and which I think are stupid in my eyes. Stop being so hard to yourself."

Lindsay nodded. "Well, whatever. I...well, I'm just...I don't know how to explain it. Before you I had some...relationships that didn't go so well. I know, this had absolutely nothing to do with you. But...I'm still waiting for the moment you realise I'm not what you're hoping for. I'm not a woman you can imagine to be together with for a longer time. I'm afraid you could one day come and tell me 'That's it. I have enough. I found someone better than you.'. It's not like that never happened to me, and I'm...just a bit scared, you know." She sighed again, before she added, "I'm sorry."

Nervously, she looked at him, waiting for him to react. She didn't mean to tell him he was like those guys. But she wanted to be honest. Danny was looking back at her, obviously thinking about something, before he answered.

"I understand what you mean," he said. "I understand where those feelings are coming from, and you don't have to be sorry at all. It's not your fault those stupid idiots treated you like this. How can someone come to you and leave you because of some other woman? How could someone only abuse you for their fun? How could someone push you away? You're one of the sweetest persons I ever met. I can't understand how they could treat you like this, because I would never do that to you, Lindsay." He hesitated for a moment. Then he added, "I love you."

Hearing his last sentence, Lindsay needed a moment to realise what he had just said.

"What?" she asked, not trusting in her own ears.

"I love you," Danny repeated, smiling at her.

Once again, Lindsay could only stare back at him. What? He had just said he loved her, right? Twice. She couldn't misunderstand him twice. He had said it. He loved her. And hearing an 'I love you' from Danny meant he really did. For a brief moment, Lindsay was shocked. She hadn't expected something like that. Maybe he'd tell her he wouldn't be like those men, maybe he'd try to calm her. But that wasn't what he had done. No, Danny had confessed that he loved her. Love. A strong word, coming from him. It meant a lot. But what about her? Lindsay didn't need to think about that long. Actually she knew the answer for quite a while now.

"I love you, too," she answered.

Smiling even more, Danny pulled her closer.

"Good," he whispered. "I love you. And I hope this is enough for you to believe me that I won't run away. I will stay. And I won't let you go. Promise."

Now smiling as well, Lindsay nodded. With that she lay down next to Danny again, closing her arms around him tightly. More words weren't needed. They were in love; something both knew for a while now, if they were completely honest. But sometimes it needed some doubts and fears to realise that. He loved her, like she loved him. And she believed him. Because she could understand him and was feeling the same way about him. The fears she had wouldn't immediately disappear. But she knew she could trust in him completely and this was what she was going to do.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! Did you enjoy last night's episode? ;)**

It had been one sentence, but Danny's confession that he loved Lindsay, had a big effect on the couple's relationship. The fear to be pushed away again was still present in Lindsay's mind, but more and more she was able to push her doubts away.

Danny wasn't a man who told a person he loved her for no reason. He meant it. Everything was telling her that. He showed her how much she meant to him, he was together with her as often as possible and he had confessed his true feelings; something that had been a huge step for him.

Lindsay trusted in Danny, for a long time now, if she was completely honest. But talking about their feelings open like this had helped her a lot to let him in.

It was early in the morning. It was weekend and both, Danny and Lindsay, had managed to have the day off together.

Lindsay was just waking up. She hadn't even opened her eyes yet, but a smile already lit her face. Comfortably wrapped into her blanket, she was lying on her stomach, snuggling into her pillow. She could feel how Danny's hand was gently running up and down her back, sending delicious shivers through her body.

Moments like this never failed to cause an intense feeling of happiness deep inside her heart, that spread through her entire body. Danny knew exactly what to do to make her feel like this. Those loving touches she enjoyed so much. It had nothing to do with sexual tension, like at the beginning of their relationship, when they had been friends with benefits. It was the expression of the new point they had reached, was mirroring their feelings for each other.

After lying like this for a while, simply enjoying the soft sensation of Danny's touches, Lindsay turned around so she was lying on her side, able to watch him. Finally opening her eyes, she looked straight into Danny's. A warm smile lit his face when he reached over to her, gently brushing her hair out of her face.

"Hey," he said, his voice low and warm.

"Hey," she replied, in the same tone, smiling back at him.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, carefully pulling her closer while she closed her arms around him, cuddling closer.

"Perfectly," she replied, already closing her eyes again. "And you?"

"Same," Danny whispered back, placing a soft kiss into her hair. They were silent for a couple of minutes before he spoke again. "So, what about breakfast? Are you hungry already?"

Nodding, Lindsay pulled back a little so she could look up at him. "Yes." She already started to move out of his arms, but Danny tightened his grip around her, keeping her in place.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing here?" he asked.

"What am I doing?" she asked, chuckling. "I going to make breakfast this time. And this time you'll stay here and let me do. You had a long day yesterday."

"But..." Danny started to contradict, but Lindsay was faster.

"No buts, okay?" she said, finally freeing herself from his tight grip. "Stay here and let me be romantic now."

Danny raised his eyebrows at her, ready to contradict once again, but then changed his mind and shrugged.

"Whatever you want," he replied, lying back down. "I just wanted to be a gentleman."

"You always are," Lindsay said, winking at him. "But now let me do something for you."

With that she wanted to get up. But she hadn't even left the bed completely when she stopped. In an instant, she started to feel dizzy, her mind was spinning. A strong feeling of sickness was rising in her stomach and she needed to close her eyes and grab the edge to the bed to keep her balance.

"Hey, Montana, are you okay?" Danny asked and she felt how he lightly touched her shoulder. Opening her eyes again, she tried to nod.

"I'm okay," she said in a hoarse voice. But the moment she had spoken it out, she was overwhelmed by her sickness.

"Sorry," was all she managed to say when she jumped up from her bed and rushed into the bathroom, just in time to empty her stomach into the toilet.

A couple of minutes had passed when Lindsay managed to get away from the toilet again. Shaking, she crawled over to the other side of the room, sitting down on the floor and resting back against the wall with her back. Her face red, hot and wet with tears, she pressed her cool hands against it, trying to breath low and steady to calm her stomach down again. She was shocked by this sudden event. Where was this sickness coming from? She hadn't felt bad at all lately. Actually she felt pretty good.

Lindsay didn't know how long she had been sitting in the bathroom. After a while, she heard how the bathroom door was opened.

"Can I come in?" Danny asked softly.

"Sure," Lindsay mumbled, still not looking up.

She heard how he entered the room and closed the door again. He walked over to her and joined her on the floor. She could feel him hesitate for a moment before he rested his arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her closer until she was resting against his chest. Silently, he rubbed her back for a couple of minutes, holding her in his arms.

"Are you feeling better again?" he asked after while, kissing her gently onto the top of her head. Nodding once again, Lindsay finally removed her hands from her face, looking up at him. Lovingly, he wiped the few tears that were still present on her face, away, kissing her softly.

"Did you already feel sick earlier?" he wanted to know.

"No," Lindsay answered, shaking her head. "I don't know where this is suddenly coming from."

"Maybe we should take you to a doctor then?" Danny suggested. "If it happens again. Maybe you just didn't feel well because you haven't eaten anything yet. But if it happens again, we should check that out, okay?"

Listening to him, Lindsay couldn't help but smile. She loved when he said 'we' instead of 'her'. Of course she knew he was very protective of her, and she couldn't deny she liked it.

"Okay," she agreed then.

"Fine," he said, giving her a supportive smile. "And now lets get you back into the bedroom. And I will make you breakfast now. No contradicting."

Laughing, Lindsay nodded, allowing Danny to help her to get up. She liked how much he cared about her. It felt good to know he was there to make her feel good. It was new to her and she definitely enjoyed it. But she couldn't help the thought that this sudden sickness hadn't appeared for the last time.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! :)**

Like Lindsay had expected, her sickness returned several times that day. It totally confused her, because until this day, she had felt pretty well and had no idea where this sickness was coming from. She didnt even feel bad now. It was just the vomitting. But it was enough to get Danny concerned.

"I told you we're going to check that out when it returns," Danny told Lindsay while gently stroking through her messy hair after another visit in the bathroom.

"No, I'm good," she contradicted, cuddling closer against him. "Don't worry. Maybe I just ate something wrong. I'll be fine."

"That's good then," he answered, carefully losening his grip around her, pulling her back so he could face her. "Then the doctor will tell us you're fine and we can go home again. Or he'll give you some medicine. Whatever it is, we'll go to a clinic now. Don't contradict."

Sighing deeply, Lindsay shook her head at him. "Why are you so stubborn? I'm good."

"Of course you are," Danny replied, already getting up from the floor. Offering his hand to her, he added, "Now get up. We'll take you to a doctor now. End of story."

Sighing deeply, Lindsay took his hand and let him pull her up onto her feet. She knew contradicting or discussing was senseless. He was just like her; stubborn when it came to people close to him.

Another hour later, the couple was sitting in the waiting room of the clinic, waiting for the doctor having time for them. Although Lindsay didn't have a doubt that her sudden sickness didn't have a real, special reason, she suddenly started to feel nervous. She didn't have any idea why; maybe it was coming from the fact that Danny was concerned about her? That they were at a clinic where she hated being at anyway? Possible. She didn't know. Even the loving grip with what he was holding her hand, wasn't working for her. Deep in her thoughts, she almost missed when the nurse entered the room.

"Miss Monroe," she said, giving Lindsay, who instantly snapped back into reality, a warm smile. "Would you please follow me?"

Nodding, Lindsay got up from her chair. Without saying a word, Danny got up as well. Lindsay glanced at him, already opening her mouth to tell him he didn't have to come with her, but then changed her mind again. He wanted to come with her, and she was nervous. So why should she play the independent woman again? She was glad when he was with her.

They didn't have to wait long for the doctor to join them in the little, cool, white room. Danny and Lindsay hadn't spoken a word during this time. Lindsay could still feel an inner nervousness and had already given up on finding out its reason. Danny had kept on holding her hand all the time, which had given her support, but also had revealed his own nervousness. Nervousness that always appeared whenever he had the feeling someone close to him could possibly not feel well.

"When did this sudden sickness start?" Dr Mason asked Lindsay

.

"It started this morning," she answered. "When I got up. I don't know where it suddenly came from. And it returned a couple of times."

"Do you have any other symptomes, apart from your sickness?" he wanted to know.

Lindsay shrugged. "Not really. Well, I'm a bit tired lately, but I'm working a lot. That's nothing new to me."

The doctor nodded. "Okay. I will run some tests and have a look at what could be wrong with you," he said. "You aren't pregnant, are you?"

"No," Lindsay answered in an instant. "Well...I think so." Briefly she glanced at Danny, who was now looking at her, his eyebrows slightly raised. She didn't need him to say anything to know what he was thinking at this particular moment. A pregnancy was the last reason they had expected. Neither of them had thought about this possibility yet. But if they were honest, it was indeed possible.

"Well, we'll check that out then," Mr Mason said, already getting up from his chair.

A while later, Danny and Lindsay were in the waiting room again, waiting for the results. Once again Danny was holding her hand, tighter this time. Both were seriously nervous now. When they had arrived earlier, they had only planned on checking out where Lindsay's sickness was coming from. Now the doctor had given them something else to be nervous about; a potential pregnancy maybe?

"I'm still convinced it's nothing else than a light flu. Or I ate something wrong," Lindsay said after a long while of silence.

"We'll see," Danny answered.

"I really don't see this happening," Lindsay said, more determined. But instead of agreeing, Danny only looked at her.

"It's okay," he said, his voice surprisingly low and calm. "We'll see what the doctor will say. If you are indeed pregnant, it's okay. Everything's alright."

Lindsay stared back at him for a moment, trying to read the expression in his eyes. Was he seriously calm like this, even ready for something life changing like a pregnancy? Or was he so convinced she was not pregnant that he could say something like that? But his eyes were telling her another story. Once again they were saying more than words; all his love and warmth was present in them again, and once again it didn't fail to make her calm.

"Okay," she said then, feeling how he squeezed her hand lightly. Yes, he was right. Everything was alright. Even when the doctor would surprise them with the news of a pregnancy.

Another few moments later, the nurse returned into the room again. Danny and Lindsay shared a quick glance before they got up together to follow her. Lindsay's heart was racing, but Danny's presents somehow made her stay calm enough to keep on walking. She knew he wouldn't let her fall. No. Everything was okay; no matter if she was pregnant or not. He'd be there to support her, that was for sure. But it didn't change her nervousness at all.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Thank you so much for the sweet feedback! :) Thank you!**

On their way back to Dr Mason, Lindsay was glad Danny was at her side, his arm around her for support. Her legs felt so wobbly she wasn't sure if she would have been able to walk on her own.

The chance that she could be pregnant was definitely given. It would fit to the way she was currently feeling. Briefly, she glanced at Danny. He was walking next to her, his hand resting around her waist for support. He was there, and would be there. He had promised he'd support her; he had said they'd deal with it. But would he stick to this opinion when they really learnt she was pregnant? She couldn't be sure.

The moment they entered the room again, sitting down across of Dr Mason, Lindsay felt like she was shivering inside. What was her opinion about the whole situation? What if she was indeed pregnant? A pregnancy would be a total surprise. She wasn't living and working in New York long yet. She and Danny had a relationship now, they loved each other. But a baby? Wasn't that too early yet?

"Alright," Dr Mason said then. "I found out what caused your sickness."

He paused for a moment; something that only caused Lindsay to become even more nervous. She felt how Danny gently took her hand into his, squeezing it lightly. He was there, but would he stay if the doctor told them what she was expecting him to tell?

"You're pregnant, Miss Monroe," Dr Mason said then. With a smile, he added, "Congratulations."

But the congratulations Lindsay didn't hear anymore. She had only heard three words- you are pregnant. It was true. She was going to have a baby. Danny and she were going to have a child. She was pregnant. It wasn't just a flu or something like that. She was expecting a child.

"Thank you, doctor," she heard Danny's voice talking. "But would you leave us alone for a few minutes please?"

"Of course," Dr Mason replied. Lindsay hardly noticed how he got up from his chair to leave the room. She barely heard how he closed the door. Everything was silent in the room then. Lindsay was still staring at the doctor's desk in front of her, without actually seeing anything. She didn't know what to say, didn't know what to think. She was simply surprised. And overwhelmed.

"Are you okay?" Danny asked after what had to be eternity.

Slowly coming back to reality, Lindsay finally managed to turn around to him, immediately noticing the strong concern in his eyes.

"Are you okay, Lindsay?" he repeated, his grip around her hand tightening a bit.

"I...I'm not sure," she answered, her voice shaking lightly. She really wasn't sure. Was she okay? Maybe even happy? Or was she shocked? Right now, she couldn't tell.

"Montana," Danny said, his voice low and warm but with enough determination to get through to her. "Montana, listen to me, okay? Just for a moment."

Still looking at him, still trying to focus, Lindsay nodded wordlessly.

"Okay," he continued. "Lindsay, I know you're surprised. Maybe even shocked. We came here to figure out why you felt sick and found out you're pregnant. That's something that surprised both of us."

Again Lindsay nodded. She noticed the first tears rising in her eyes; tears caused by all the different emotions rushing through her at the moment. Quickly, she tried to wipe them away, but once again Danny gently took her hands back into his, once again, causing her to look at him. What she saw in his eyes almost surprised her even more than the news themselves.

"It was a big surprise, for you as much as for me," he told her then. "But you remember what I told you earlier, right? I told you that we'll deal with it, right? Lindsay, we're going to have a baby. You know that's a good thing, right? Of course we didn't plan this, but if we're completely honest, we also never planned on ever falling in love with each other either, right? It happened anyway, and now we both enjoy it. Maybe it'd have been better to wait a few months or years. But the baby had other plans."

With that he grabbed the edges of her chair, pulling her closer so only inches were separating them. "Lindsay, we'll be able to handle this, okay? I don't know what you're thinking, but in my eyes, everything happens for a reason. I never planned on falling in love and I also never planned on being a father either. But you know what? Since I know you, I changed my mind. I love you, and you know it. And honestly; I can't wait for us to become something like a real little family."

At this point, Lindsay couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She wasn't even trying to hold them back. During the time they had been waiting in the waiting room, she had thought about possible reactions by him. That he'd react like this hadn't been one of her options though.

"You almost sound like you aren't scared at all," she said then, chuckling lightly. "Like you expected me to be pregnant."

With his smile widening lightly, Danny nodded. "That's not even wrong. To be honest, I was already thinking about this option since this whole sickness thing started. I didn't want to make you even more nervous though. But expecting this, I had already enough time to think about what this'd mean to us. Of course it scared me as well, believe me. But I can also see all the good sides. Yes, it means changes and it means a lot of responsibility. But I think we're definitely old enough to handle that. And we're close enough as well."

"So you...well, you...don't have a problem with it?" Lindsay wanted to know.

Determined, Danny shook his head. "Not at all. I'd even go so far and say we'll be great parents. And we have still many months left to get prepared." With a chuckled, he added, "What? You're looking like you don't believe me."

"I do believe you," Lindsay answered. "It's just...I'm simply surprised. Because you stayed so calm. And that you can see all those good sides while I almost fainted at the news."

Now Danny couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I can't believe it either. Maybe the freak out will come later. But I told you; I already had time for getting prepared, for thinking about the good and the not so good sides. And I came to the conclusion that there are no real not so good sides. It'll be a huge challenge for us, that's for sure. But it's going to be wonderful. Just trust in me."

At his last words, Lindsay could only nod in response. "I will trust in you," she promised.

Smiling broadly, Danny answered, "Good to know."

With that, he moved even closer so he was able to pull her into his arms. The moment Lindsay felt how Danny closed his arms around her in a comforting, tight embrace, she felt a strong feeling of relief spreading inside her. She knew he was right; she should trust in him. She knew he would be there, would support her. And he was right; they'd try everything to be good parents.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing!**

"I'm at home!" Lindsay heard Danny's voice shouting through her apartment when he opened the front door. Chuckling, she wondered how long he'd need to find her.

"Baby? Where are you? I know you're at home, you never leave the lights on when you leave," she heard him shouting once again, this time louder though; obviously he was already on his way to her.

"What about the bathroom?" she shouted back, not wanting him to spend any more time with searching for her after having a long shift. Knowing him, she also could be sure he had made a quick stop at a shop again to buy her some chocolate. Like always.

Since the two of them were officially a couple and had confessed their feelings for each other, Danny had been searching for her nearness more and more. The two of them had gotten closer and closer, with every day.

But then they had found out that Lindsay was pregnant with Danny's baby. She had always been sure it'd change a lot. That he'd become so protective and caring had even surprised her. Lindsay knew Danny was in love with her, like she was in love with him. Since they knew about their baby though, Danny hardly left her side. He almost moved in with her, took care of her, did all the shopping and everything that could exhaust her.

Like today. Danny had had a long shift. Lindsay had strictly forbidden him to do any extra stops to buy anything for her. She knew he hadn't listened to her though. At the thought of how caring Danny was, Lindsay smiled broadly. She could clearly remember how scared she had been what he'd do. She had been completely wrong with her fears.

A moment later, the bathroom door was opened and a warmly smiling Danny entered.

"Hey, here you are," he said. Closing the door again, he walked over to her to kneel down next to the bathtub. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," she replied, mirroring his smile. Gently she drew one of her hands though his short hair, watching him closely. He looked like he hadn't slept in ages. "What about you? You're looking so tired."

"Nah, I'm fine," Danny answered, resting his head against her wet shoulder though for support. "I had a long day, that's all. Much work to do..."

"...and because you made it your top mission to protect your pregnant girlfriend all the time," Lindsay completed. When he looked up at her, already opening his mouth to contradict, she silenced him with gently putting her index finger against his lips.

"Danny, come on," she said softly. "You're the sweetest boyfriend I can imagine. But you're totally stressing yourself. I'm fine, okay? You don't have to take care of me every single moment, and you also don't have to do anything and everything for me. You're already totally worn out."

"You know I love being there for you," Danny answered.

Lindsay nodded. "I know. But look at yourself. You're constantly concerned about me, you're pulling shift after shift so we have enough money for the baby, you're trying to do everything for me so I can relax. Danny, I'm fine, really. And you don't need to work 18 hours a day. We'll handle having a baby, okay? We'll be able to earn enough money for it. But if you continue like this, you'll have a breakdown sooner or later."

She looked him into the eyes, waiting for Danny to respond. Of course she knew he loved all the things he was doing for them. It was getting too much for him though. Of course having a child they'd need all the money they could get. Of course she needed to relax. But not while he worked and worked with no breaks.

"I just...don't want to regret I didn't do enough later," he answered then.

"I know what you mean," Lindsay replied. "Just do me a favour though; stop talking about 'you'. It's 'us' who have to take care of everything. 'We' are going to raise this child together, 'we' are both responsible for it. Okay? We're a team. You don't have to take all the stress on your own. And believe me, I won't let you do that anymore."

At this point, Lindsay was speaking with a lot of determination. She expected him to contradict again, but to her relief, a soft smile lit his face.

"On one point I have to agree," he said then. "It's indeed 'us'."

Satisfied smiling, Lindsay nodded. "Exactly. It's 'us'. And I want you to relax as well."

Moving a bit in the warm water, she waved her hand and added, "And now get undressed and join me. A warm bath is the best medicine against stress."

Smiling broadly now, Danny got up from his kneeling position. "I think that's a very good idea."

A minute later, Danny was sitting in the bathtub as well. Lindsay was resting against his chest with her back how. His arms were wrapped around her, his hands resting on her still flat belly. They had been silent for minutes. It was him who broke the silence again.

"It's all so exciting," he said, gently kissing his girlfriend's bare shoulder. "I'm so excited, I just want to do everything right. I don't want my child to tell me I'm a bad father one day."

"I don't think that'll ever happen," Lindsay answered, snuggling a bit more against him. "We're both excited, and it's normal we want to do everything right. But stressing ourselves won't make it easier."

Nodding, Danny placed a soft kiss into her wet hair. "You know what's funny? You've been the one who freaked out after finding out about the baby. Now I'm the nervous one and you're trying to calm me down."

Lindsay chuckled in response. "That's true. But I think it also shows what a good team we are. Whenever one of us needs support, the other one is there. That's a good mix."

"I agree with you on that," Danny replied. Gently, he pulled her even closer.

And once again they were silent. But neither of them needed to speak out what both were thinking. Both, Danny and Lindsay, knew that they were indeed a good team. There'd be more situations when one of them would freak out. But they could always be sure that the other one would be there for support.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Again, thank you so much for the sweet reviews! I'm happy to know you like this story! :)**

Lindsay was already awake for a bit, but she hadn't revealed it yet. With her eyes still closed tightly, she was lying on her side, comfortably wrapped into her blanket. She needed her whole willpower to not grin though. She knew Danny was awake as well. Mainly because she could clearly feel he was watching her.

Watching her was something Danny seemed to like doing lately. He did it alway and everywhere; at work, when he was supposed to work, at home on the couch when he was supposed to be watching TV, in bed, when he was supposed to sleep.

Yes, Danny liked watching his girlfriend, and Lindsay didn't really mind. There was something in his eyes that never failed to affect her; a warmth which she had never seen in any of her boyfriend's eyes.

"How long do you want to continue pretending that you're asleep, huh?" Danny suddenly asked into the silence. "You're a bad liar, Montana. So come on, open your beautiful eyes."

Knowing he had caught her, Lindsay squeezed her eyes shut even more though, wondering what he was going to do next. She felt how he kept on watching her for another moment before he moved over to her. Tickling with anticipation, she waited for what he was going to do.

"Wake up, Montana," he whispered into her ear and from his warm breath she could feel on her skin, she could tell he was lying right next to her now.

This was nothing special though. For Lindsay, whose hormones were driving her crazy lately anyway and who could hardly keep her hands off her boyfriend, this was torture. Her urge to just grab him kicked in and once again she needed much willpower to control herself.

Danny was silent for another few minutes; all she could feel was his presence and his warm breath on her anyway sensitive skin.

"I know you want me," he whispered then and she could almost feel the grin that lit his lips. "I know you want me so badly. It's only a question of time until you can't pretend on being asleep anymore."

With that he closed the last bit of distance between them and placed a feather-light kiss right below Lindsay's ear. Lindsay, who had been determined to not give in, couldn't help but deny he was completely right. Hell, who was she trying to fool?

Releasing a deep sigh, Lindsay's eyes flew open. Within a quick move, she grabbed the front of his shirt. Catching him by surprise, she managed to roll them over so he was lying on his back now. Half surprised, half amused, he looked up at her, chuckling.

"That was mean," she hissed, bending forward to kiss him gently yet passionately. "Don't humour your pregnant girlfriend."

"I'm not humouring you, sweetie," Danny replied, still smirking at her.

Gently he rested his hands on her hips, letting his eyes roam over her. Those gazes immediately caused her to feel a strong insecurity rising inside her. Since Lindsay was together with Danny, she had tried to fight against this insecurity, to become more confidant of herself. Mostly it had worked, mainly because he had kept on showing her how much he loved her and how much he wanted her every day.

Now, since Lindsay was pregnant, this was changing a bit again. Especially since she noticed how much her body was changing with every passing week. Now, being around 18 weeks pregnant, her belly had grown enough so it was clearly visible. Actually almost every body part of her had become bigger. And this was what made her insecure. When Danny was looking at her like this, what was he really thinking? That he loved her the way she was? Or that she was becoming fat? Or what else was he possibly thinking?

"Are you okay?" Danny's voice interrupted her in her thoughts. Shaking her head lightly to clear her thoughts, she looked back down at him, seeing light concern in his eyes again.

"Oh, of course. I'm fine," she replied quickly, smiling at him. The slight raising of his eyebrows though told her he wasn't believing her. Before she could say more though, she already felt how he tightened his grip on her hips and before she could react, he rolled them over once again, causing him to be on top now.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Don't you feel well? And don't tell me you're fine. You promised to always tell me when something is wrong."

"But nothing is wrong, really," Lindsay tried to contradict. Staring him straight into the eyes, she hoped he'd believe her. When she noticed he didn't, she sighed deeply. He was right; she had promised to be honest. And would it help her if she remained quiet? No, not really.

"Just on question," she continued, breaking their eye contact. "And I want an honest answer. What are you thinking about me?"

"What am I thinking about you?" Danny repeated, his voice revealing his confusion. "What do you mean?"

Sighing lightly, Lindsay added, "Do you still think that I'm...attractive? And please, I want you to be honest. I won't beat you up when you say you don't. I just...need to know it."

Expecting him to say something now, Lindsay waited. When he didn't give her any answers though, she looked back up at him. To her surprise, she saw how he was grinning at her, obviously having a hard time with not breaking out into laughter.

"What's funny?" she asked, slightly annoyed. "That was a serious question and I want an honest answer. I don't think that's too much to ask for."

"It's not," Danny agreed. "But whatever I say now, I can only lose, right?"

Now it was Lindsay's turn to be confused. "What?"

"Whatever I say now, it's wrong anyway," he explained. "Because I know you. When I say you're not attractive anymore, you'll be hurt. When I say you're still attractive, you won't believe me. I can't do it right."

"What? That's not true!" Lindsay contradicted, narrowing her eyes at him. "You make me sound like those women who are pissed at their partners whatever they say."

Laughing, Danny shook his head. "No, this I didn't mean to do. But okay, then do me a favour. When I tell you my honest answer now, promise you'll accept it and believe it, okay?"

Lindsay nodded. "Okay."

"Great," Danny said. He made a playful pause before he added, "For me you're the most beautiful woman I ever met. I know the changes your body is going through, make you insecure. But do you even have any clue how beautiful you are, Montana? And you're very sexy. I'd also say every guy who thinks his beautiful pregnant woman isn't attractive anymore, is simply mean." With his smile widening even more, he added, "You're a beautiful woman, Montana. I love you."

Lindsay only could stare back at him for a moment. Then she blushed and asked, "Really?"

"Nah, Montana!" Danny replied, playfully glaring at her. "I told you to believe me."

Now laughing as well, Lindsay nodded. "Okay, okay." Finally smiling as well, she added, "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," he answered. "So...after clarifying this...what do you think? Do you want me to prove how much I really want you, sweetie?"

"I wouldn't complain I think," Lindsay replied, mirroring his smile.

Instead of answering, Danny simply kissed her. Although Lindsay had felt quite uncomfortable with talking about her insecurity again, she was glad they had done it. It had helped to relieve her. Maybe she should simply believe him. He loved her, as much as she loved him.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Thank you so much for the sweet reviews! :)**

"Oh, come on, Montana," Danny whined. "Don't be mean. Don't you love me?"

Turning around, Lindsay shook her head at her boyfriend, who was sitting on their bed, looking at her with his best puppy dogs eyes. When would he finally learn that this didn't work with her?

"Are you kidding me?" she replied, faking that she was shocked. "You ask me if I don't love you because I want you to go shopping with me?"

Still pouting, Danny crawled over to the edge of the bed. He grabbed her carefully around her waist, pulling her with him back onto the bed. Before Lindsay could get out of his grip, he rolled them over so she was lying on her back now, with no chance to get away from him.

"Then let's stay here," he whispered, already starting to place soft kisses along her neck. "Come on, I know you would rather stay here as well. Isn't it much better to spend the day in bed with me than running around in a shopping center?"

"Danny, I think you don't know what we're going to buy," Lindsay replied. She could already feel the intensity of her passion for him rising inside her. But she wouldn't give in now. They had other plans.

Stopping his kissing attack, Danny looked back at her. "You told me we're going to go shopping."

"Yes, and not clothes for me," Lindsay answered. "I want us to go shopping for our baby."

Curious she watched him closely. Satisfied she noticed how the expression in his eyes changed immediately. She was five months pregnant now and they hadn't had the chance to buy a lot of stuff now. During the last weeks, Danny had completely moved in with her. Both knew they wouldn't live in her apartment forever; for the moment though it was okay.

Anyway they hadn't been able to buy much for the child yet. This had to change though.

"Oh, you mean like clothes and toys and stuff?" he wanted to know, now instead of annoyed totally excited. "But we don't even know if it's going to be a boy or a girl."

"Yes, and we won't till the birth." she replied. They had decided they didn't want to know their baby's sex before the birth. "But this doesn't mean we can't buy anything for it yet. Pink and blue aren't the only colours for baby clothes."

"Okay," Danny finally agreed with her. Getting up on his knees again, he helped her to sit up. "But we won't buy a bed and all the heavy stuff. I will do that with Flack later."

"That's okay to me," Lindsay answered. "So...that means we will go shopping now? And you won't contradict anymore?"

"Absolutely not," Danny said, smiling broadly.

Smiling back at him, Lindsay kissed him softly before she added, "Good. Then let's get dressed. I want to be in the shopping centers before the other people who are living in this city, get the same idea."

Without contradicting, Danny immediately got up from the bed. Chuckling, Lindsay followed him. She could understand he hated shopping in general. Shopping for the baby was different though. Whenever something had to do with their baby, it caught Danny's attention. Even shopping was no difference.

--------

"Wow, who would have expected that for a baby you have such a huge amount of stuff?" Danny said surprised, with huge eyes scanning all the hallstands and cupboards. Baby clothes, baby toys, baby beds. Everything. "How should one ever decide?"

"Don't worry," Lindsay answered, amused by his obvious confusion. "Just do me a favour and don't buy the entire content of this shop."

Nodding, Danny walked over to the first table. Lindsay had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from laughing. She had to admit that he was by far the most adorable man who had ever gone shopping with his girlfriend, she had ever seen.

"Don't you think that's way too tiny?" his voice interrupted her in her thoughts. Looking up at him again, she saw he was holding one of the small baby sleeper. "How should it ever fit into that?"

Chuckling, Lindsay stepped next to him, watching what he had found. "Have you never seen a baby before or what?" she asked amused.

Playfully glaring at her, Danny shook his head. "Yeah, humour me, Montana. But seriously, look at how tiny it is. What tiny hands and feet do they have? There must be larger ones."

Smiling at him, Lindsay shook her head. "No. If you believe it or not, they are that tiny after they've been born."

"Wow," Danny repeated, this time in a much quieter voice. "So tiny." He paused for a moment, his eyes still focussed on the baby sleeper, before he added, "I swear, if anyone ever gets too close to my baby, the person will regret it."

Lindsay didn't respond to that. She could almost see the thoughts running through his mind. The more time he spent with thinking about their baby and with realising that soon there'd indeed be one of those tiny, little persons, the more he got amazed by the idea. Amazed and scared. Lindsay didn't need to be a mind reader to know he'd be an extremely protective father.

"Can we buy that?" he asked her then, now looking at her again. "I think it looks really sweet. For both, boy and girl."

"Of course we can buy it," she answered, smiling at the happy expression in his eyes.

Another hour later, the couple had bought a few more baby sleepers and a couple of more accessories they had found. Although it had been a short shopping trip, Lindsay was glad it was time to go home again. Being five months pregnant was becoming exhausting for her.

"See, I told you it's not bad to go shopping with me," she told Danny when they finally managed to leave the shop. "And if you're completely honest, you would have liked to stay in there much longer."

To her amusement, he blushed at her last sentence.

"Okay, you were right," he admitted. He paused for a moment before he added, "I still can't really believe it. It's so amazing. It's still like a dream."

"It is," she agreed. "It really is. But soon enough you'll see it's true."

"I can't wait for it."

With that Danny and Lindsay headed back to their car. She had to agree with him; it was still amazing that they were going to be parents soon. It was exciting and wonderful. For both of them.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing and for adding the story to your favourites and alerts! Wow, this fic almost has 30 chapters already!**

There weren't a lot of things Lindsay disliked. She could be very high tempered of course, but usually she was calm and didn't get mad easily. There was something she hated though; waiting. Like now. She was waiting for Danny to come home. And she was nervous. Very nervous.

The day had started normally, just with the difference she hadn't really felt well. This was nothing special; she was pregnant and her body and mind seemed to have a life of their own. She couldn't do much against that.

But today had been the worst. Lindsay didn't really know what had caused her bad mood that early in the morning. But for some reason everything was annoying her. She was annoyed because she didn't find the shirt she had been planned to wear. She was annoyed because the water of the shower didn't want to become warmer. She was annoyed because the coffee machine didn't work fast enough. She was annoyed because they got stuck in a traffic jam. She was annoyed by her paperwork. She was annoyed by pretty much everything.

Knowing this though, Lindsay tried to stay away from people when she felt like this. This worked pretty well. But it didn't work with Danny. Being a concerned boyfriend, he immediately noticed she didn't feel well, and like always he wasn't willing to leave her alone but wanted to know what was on.

And this had been the problem. Despite herself, Lindsay had even gotten annoyed by him. Which had ended in her snapping at him.

"You just have to ask me questions all the time, right?" she had hissed. "Danny, I told you I'm good. I'm just not in my best mood today. Just...let me, okay? Don't ask me how I am all the time. You're driving me crazy."

Danny had only stared back at her, saying nothing. Slightly raising his eyebrows, he shrugged lightly and answered, "Okay. If you say so."

With that he had left her alone in her office again; actually this was what she had wanted to happen. But not in a way like this. The moment he walked through the door, she regretted her reaction again. He cared about her, he wanted her to feel good. That was the reason why he asked her questions. Pushing him back like this possibly had only hurt him and this was the least she had wanted to do.

Now, a few hours after her shift had ended, Lindsay was sitting in her apartment, waiting for Danny to come home. She wasn't annoyed anymore, no. Now she just felt bad. Bad because she had snapped at him, because she possibly had hurt him. And this was making her nervous.

After what had to be eternity, she finally heard the sound of Danny's key in the keyhole. Already waiting for this moment, Lindsay jumped up from the couch, her heart racing. Since the moment in the office, the two hadn't been able to talk. How would he act now? Was he mad at her maybe?

Before Danny had opened the door completely, Lindsay already greeted him, "Hey. You're home. I was already...waiting for you."

"Oh, hey," Danny greeted back, while walking through the front door fighting with his key and his jacket. He looked exhausted; no surprise after a long shift. If he was mad or disappointed though; this wasn't clearly visible.

"I...uh...cooked already," she added, hoping she didn't sound too insecure.

"Really? That's great," Danny answered, finally managing to slam the door shut. Sighing deeply, he headed over to the couch, letting himself fall onto it. "But if you don't mind...give me a minute, okay? My back is hurting like crap. This was really a shitty day, believe me."

Lindsay nodded. _Yes, and I didn't make it better, _she thought. Still resting against the back of the couch, watching Danny, who was sitting on the couch, over her shoulder. What should she do? Just wait and see? Or talk to him? Should she ask him why exactly his day was so shitty? Maybe this'd be better.

Releasing a soft sigh herself, Lindsay walked around the couch. Hesitating for a moment, she decided to sit down next to him. She needed another minute before she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Danny, who had had his eyes closed, now opened them, giving her a confused look. "What?"

"I'm sorry," she repeated, blushing lightly.

"I heard that," Danny replied. "But why do you say you're sorry? What for?"

"Uh...because...well, I didn't want to piss you off today," she answered, blushing even more. "I didn't want to attack you. I just didn't really feel well. Which isn't an excuse of course."

Still not understanding, Danny looked even more confused than before.

"What are you talking about?" he wanted to know. "You didn't piss me off. Did I miss something?"

"I mean...when you asked me how I am," she tried to explain. "I snapped at you. I know that wasn't fair. You just wanted to ask me how I am."

Danny needed another moment before he finally understood what she was talking about. Despite his tiredness, a smile suddenly lit his face.

"I'm not mad at you or something, okay?" he answered, gently taking her hands into his. "I can understand your reaction. You're pregnant."

"Yeah, of course," Lindsay replied, not really convinced. "But this doesn't mean..."

"Lindsay," Danny interrupted her gently. "Just stop it, okay? I know you don't mean it like this. I know you don't feel well at the moment. You're pregnant and your hormones are driving you crazy. It's okay. I didn't take it personal. Everything is fine, okay? Don't worry."

"Are you sure?" Lindsay asked, causing Danny to laugh. "What?"

"You're cute, you know that?" Danny answered. "Oh, come on, Lindsay. It takes a lot more to make me mad. Everything's fine, believe me."

Nodding lightly, Lindsay was silent for a moment. Then she added, "But why else did you have a shitty day?"

"Mainly because of work," Danny replied, sighing lightly. Gently taking her hands again, he pulled her closer to him and rested his head against her shoulder. "It was a hard case. I'm really glad I'm at home now. Together with you."

Hearing his answer, finally a light smile lit Lindsay's face. "Then you can relax now. Work is far away. Just enjoy being here."

"That's what I'm doing," Danny replied, snuggling closer against her.

Still smiling, Lindsay nodded. Danny was glad to be at home, with her. Once again her nervousness had been unnecessary. He understood her. There was no need to worry, and if they misunderstood each other, they'd just talk about it. Knowing this was relieving, for both of them.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

Finally arriving at the front door, Lindsay released a deep sigh and leant against the wall for a moment. The longer she was pregnant, the more exhausting it became. Especially when she had to work long shifts like today.

She couldn't help but smile when she remembered Danny's reaction to how long she'd have to work at this day. Especially when he had found out his shift would end earlier. Being incredibly protective of her lately, he had tried a lot of tricks to convince her from at least trading shifts. When this hadn't worked, he had tried to lure her out of the lab and had even asked Mac if he could send her home earlier.

After all he had had to leave after his shift had ended and she had stayed at the lab. Now, hours later, Lindsay almost wished she had taken his offer though. Her legs and her back were hurting and she was so tired she almost fell asleep while leaning against the wall of the hallway.

But before she could slide down it to rest for a few minutes, the front door was suddenly opened and Danny appeared in the hallway as well.

"I knew I heard something," he said. "Finally you're home. I already wanted to call Mac and yell at him for keeping my pregnant girlfriend at work for too long."

Chuckling, Lindsay took the hand he offered her. Usually she would have commented, but she was too tired to think about anything. So she allowed him to pull her into their apartment and to lead her over to the couch where she let herself fall with a relieved sigh.

"Who would have thought sitting can be that awesome," she said, closing her eyes while resting back against the back of the couch.

"Better than sex?" Danny asked amused.

With her eyes still closed, Lindsay shook her head. "Nothing is better than having sex with you."

"That's what I wanted to hear," Danny answered with a chuckle. She felt how he lifted her legs up to rest them on his lap. When he started to massage her feet, she sighed happily. He could be exhausting when he was so overprotective, but he was just too sweet and caring.

"You're just the best boyfriend ever, you know that?" she said.

"No surprise with a girlfriend like you," was his response. "I just wish you wouldn't have had to work so much today. I know you love your job a lot, but Lindsay, you need to rest more. I know it annoys you when I'm saying that all the time. But it's true. You're pregnant and you need to relax."

"I know," Lindsay answered, opening her eyes again. "And you're not annoying me. If I'm completely honest I even like how caring and protective you are."

"You know, I'm doing that because I want you to feel good," he added. "You and the baby."

"Yes, and that's very sweet of you," Lindsay replied, giving him a grateful smile.

It was a good feeling to know how much he cared about them, how much he wanted to be there for them. After she had found out about the pregnancy, there had still been a slight fear that maybe Danny could change his mind. Deep inside she had always known he was different, that he truly loved her and wouldn't just run away. But the fear had been there for a while anyway. Until she had realised that Danny didn't just take the responsibility, he also wanted to. He wanted to be there for her and their baby.

She wanted to say more, but the stopped. Resting her hands on her belly, her whole attention was now resting on it. She barely heard Danny's voice talking to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, instantly with concern in his voice.

"Yes, sure," Lindsay answered. "I think I just...felt a kick."

"Really?" Danny asked, his concern replaced by excitement now. "You felt a kick? For the first time?"

Lindsay nodded, looking up with a smile. "Yes. Come here, maybe it does it again."

Quickly Danny closed the distance between them and lay down next to her carefully. Gently he rested his hand on her round belly, excited waiting for the next kick. Lindsay, who was still amazed by this sudden, new feeling, rested her hand on top of his. They didn't have to wait long.

"Can you feel that?" Lindsay wanted to know, now whispering.

With an amazed expression on his face, Danny nodded. "Yes. It's very light but I can feel it. What an incredible feeling."

"Oh yes," Lindsay replied, smiling warmly. "But why are we whispering? There is nothing to hear."

Chuckling, Danny lay down next to her completely now, his hand still resting on her belly. He was gently stroking her now; mixed with the soft moves of the baby an incredible experience.

"It's so wonderful," he said then, still whispering and Lindsay couldn't deny that their low voices fitted perfectly to the almost magical atmosphere.

"It is," she whispered back, cuddling closer against his side. "Imagine. Only a few more months and we'll be parents. We'll live here with our son."

"Yes," Danny answered, closing his free arm around her to hold her even tighter.

"Do you think we'll be good parents?" she asked then. "I mean, it's not going to be easy and nice all the time. We'll be stressed, we'll have a lot to do with handling both, our jobs and the baby."

"And we'll be able to do it," Danny replied. "Or do you have any doubts?"

Once again Lindsay noticed a tiny bit of concern in her boyfriend's voice. She knew already that she wasn't the only one who quickly got worries; again something they had in common. But luckily this also made her able to know how to react.

"Honestly?" she said then. "I think we're going to be great parents. Because we love our child. And each other."

"That's very true," Danny answered quietly, placing a gentle kiss onto her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied.

With that Lindsay cuddled even closer against Danny, enjoying how he closed his arms around her tightly. They loved each other and their baby. Everything was exciting but neither of them had any doubts; they were going to be a happy family.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the sweet reviews! Here's the next chapter for you! :)**

During conversations with pregnant women, like friends or colleagues, Lindsay had always gotten the same information; obviously not only the mothers-to-be but also the Daddies were affected by the pregnancy. Lindsay had never understood how that could be possible. Until she had gotten pregnant herself.

Now she knew what women meant when they said 'we are pregnant'. The guys acted like they were experiencing the same.

Since Danny knew Lindsay was pregnant, he seemed to go through the same changes and experiences like her. According to him, he even had morning sickness from time to time; something that never failed to amuse Lindsay.

But as much as she wasn't sure if it was really possible that a man could feel the same way a pregnant woman felt, she thought his behaviour was adorable. What she loved even more though was listening to him when he thought she wasn't there and talked to others about his paternity.

One of those opportunities she had when she caught Danny in the locker room. He didn't know she was in the room as well when he entered it together with Flack. At first Lindsay wanted to make him notice her, but then she changed her mind. No, listening to the two men could be funny and pretty interesting.

"I don't really understand why she doesn't listen to me," Danny just said, sighing. Without hearing anything else, Lindsay instantly knew this talk was about her; even more interesting.

"I think she does listen to you," Flack answered. "But I think I can understand her pretty well."

From her hiding position behind the next row of lockers Lindsay saw how Danny turned around to his best friend and stared at him with huge eyes.

"Oh yeah?" he asked.

Flack nodded. "Yeah, of course. You know how much she loves her job. Lately you always tell me you know how she feels like. So why don't you try to do that now? How would you feel if someone would tell you to stop working all the time?"

Lindsay had to bite her lips to not chuckle. So they were discussing Danny's favourite topic; his wish that she should stop working although she disliked even the thought about that.

Sighing deeply, Danny rested his back against the locker next to his. "Of course I can understand she loves her job."

"See?" Flack replied. "And how would you feel if someone told you to stay at home all day because you need to relax? When you actually would love to work?"

"Yeah, but...she is pregnant."

"I know. And where is the problem with that?"

Again Danny sighed. "Did you hang out with Lindsay too much?"

Again Lindsay chuckled. Yes, she had been hanging out with Flack a few times lately. She had told him about Danny's wish to keep her away from work as much as possible but that she didn't really understand what his problem was. His answer though had made sense to her; he was simply concerned.

"Danny," Flack said then. "Don't you think I know you're concerned? Of course I understand you. You want her to relax, you don't want her to stress herself. But I don't think keeping her away from work and telling her to stay at home all day will make her feel better. She'll have to stop working in a few weeks anyway. And she is already working less."

Again sighing, Danny shrugged. "Yes, but..."

"But what?" Flack asked. "What's your problem, man?"

Although Lindsay could hardly see Danny and Flack and couldn't see his expression, she could feel that something was indeed bothering her boyfriend. Excited she moved closer. What would he answer?

"Nothing," Danny answered after a moment of silence. "It's just...I feel better when I know she is at home."

"And why?"

"Why?" Danny asked back. "Because then I know she is safe. She's not out there, at a crime scene or interrogating any potential suspects or victims. She's also not around these whole chemistries and lab stuff. At home she can sleep when she wants, she can relax and doesn't have any stress. I know I don't have to worry all the time."

Flack nodded. "But at the moment she only stays at the lab anyway. And we all take care of her. You don't have to be concerned all the time."

"I am anyway," Danny answered. "It's not so easy. And...I don't really want to tell her that all the time. I'm already driving her crazy anyway."

"I don't think you're annoying her when you tell her your reasons for you wish to stop working. I don't think she'll like to stay at home more then. But at least she understands why you don't finally drop the topic. Or she'll help me to convince you that you don't have to be concerned."

Danny shrugged. "No idea."

"You know what," Flack replied. Resting his hand on Danny's shoulder, he added, "If I were you I would just talk to her. Explain what you're thinking. There's nothing wrong with that. She's your girlfriend."

"Yeah, yeah," Danny answered. From his voice Lindsay could tell he had enough of this conversation now. "Don't you have any work to do?"

Chuckling, Flack nodded. "True. Good you remind me. But...I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Yeah, alright," Danny answered. He watched his friend heading over to the locker room door before he added, "And...thanks for listening. Again."

"You're welcome," Flack answered before he left.

While Danny turned his attention back to his locker, Lindsay wondered if she should just stay in her hiding place or should join him. But why should she pretend she wasn't there? Maybe it wasn't even that bad to come out now.

And so she took a deep breath before she got up. Coughing lightly, she walked around the locker, causing Danny to look up in surprise.

"Lindsay?" he asked. Instantly blushing, he added, "How long have you been in here?"

"Long enough," Lindsay answered, smiling at him lightly.

Danny blushed even more. "Great. So you heard my talk with Don?"

Lindsay nodded. She knew he was embarrassed now. Once again Danny had opened up to his friend and he disliked when people got to know his emotions too well. Like now.

"Do you know how sweet you are?" she said after neither of them had spoken for a few minutes.

"Why?" Danny asked back.

Approaching him, Lindsay's smile widened lightly. She stopped right in front of him and rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Because you're concerned all the time. Because you love me and care about us so much. I think that's sweet."

Despite his still reddened face, a smile lit Danny's face now as well. "Oh yeah? Then if you think it's cute, why don't you just..."

"Let's not start that again," Lindsay interrupted him. "I will stay at the lab, doing paperwork and taking care till I have to stay at home anyway in a few weeks. There is no need to worry. And at least we can be together all day when I'm at work as well."

She could see he wanted to contradict. But then he changed his mind and shrugged.

"Okay. If that's what you want," he sighed playfully.

Chuckling she nodded. "Yes, it is."

With that Lindsay closed the last bit of distance between her and Danny and kissed him. Of course she understood he was concerned. But he also seemed to understand her now. Sometimes it was the best to make compromises so both of them were happy. Like now.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Here's finally the next chapter.**

Lindsay was sitting in the living room, staring at the tv in front of her. She was bored. If it had been up to her, she'd still be at work, at least doing paperwork. But now, briefly before she'd give birth, all she could do was staying at home. She wasn't allowed to work anymore. And she hated it.

Sighing lightly, Lindsay switched the tv off. She wasn't paying attention. But what else could she do? Cleaning up the apartment? No, it was already clean enough now. Going to bed to sleep a bit? No, she wasn't tired at all.

Sighing again, Lindsay got up from the couch, which wasn't easy with her now pretty round belly. Danny had told her that soon he'd take some time off so they could spend it together and she wouldn't have to be alone at home all the time. Anyway she had to be now, and it annoyed her.

Heading into the kitchen, a light smile lit Lindsay's face. She knew Danny had tried to clean the kitchen before he had gone to work. Obviously during doing that, he had found the baby bottles they had already bought and then had forgotten to put them back into their cupboard.

More than once she had caught him looking at the stuff they had bought for their baby. So many times he had looked through the cupboards, making sure they thought about everything and didn't forget anything. More than once he had told her that they definitely had to move one day. Their currently shared apartment was too small for the three of them.

When Lindsay had found out she was pregnant, her first reaction had been shock. This hadn't been planned and Lindsay had expected him to be as shocked as she had been herself, maybe even more. She and Danny had confessed their love for each other, but they had never thought about talking about having their own little family one day.

This had happened though and she had been scared what he'd do. Would he run away and tell her their relationship was over? Or would he stay because he thought he had to? There had been a lot of theories running through her mind at this brief moment. But all of them had been wrong; this she had learnt when he had started to tell her what he had really been thinking. He had told her he wanted them. Their little family. And since this day he had shown her this, over and over again.

Still smiling, Lindsay set the bottles back to where they were supposed to be. Briefly she let her eyes wander through the room. Then she headed to the front door. She didn't want to stay at home all day.

-------

When Lindsay arrived at the lab, she already got the feeling that maybe her decision to come over hadn't been as good as she had thought before. There was this weird feeling; something she couldn't really define. It was making her slightly nervous though.

When she arrived at the right floor, Lindsay made her way to the office she usually shared with Danny. A smile lit her face when she found her boyfriend sitting at his desk. She knew he wouldn't be all too happy about her appearing at the lab although he had told her to stay at home, but he should know her good enough to know she wouldn't be able to wait all the time.

Arriving at the office, she stopped in the doorway, watching her boyfriend. He was busy with a file that was lying in front of him. From the expression on his face she could tell he was bored and annoyed about what he had to do, but he was forcing himself to do what he was supposed to do.

Once again Lindsay smiled when she remembered how he was acting every time he had to go to work in the morning lately.

"_Why can't we both just stay at home?" he asked her almost every time since she was on maternity leave._

"_Why should you stay at home?" Lindsay always asked back. "I know you love your job, as much as I love it as well. Look, I have to stay here while you can go to work. If I was you I'd be really happy."_

_But Danny obviously had another opinion about that. "I find it much nicer to stay here with my pregnant girlfriend instead of being at work, worried all the time. Do you know how much this is driving me crazy? You could give birth every day and I'm at stupid work. I don't want to miss it, okay?"_

_There wasn't much Lindsay could reply to that. She could even understand him. And if she was completely honest she would prefer him being at home as well. So she'd know he was near when she got into labour and could go to the hospital together with her. But duty was calling, if he wanted or not._

His facial expression right now was saying more than words and she had to fight hard against the urge to laugh. He was cute when he was annoyed and pissed, especially when she knew the reason was that he'd rather like to be together with her instead of sitting at his desk.

"Hey Danny," she said, finally making him notice she was there.

Looking up, a mix of confusion and surprise in his eyes, Danny stared at her. "Lindsay? What are you doing here?"

"I missed you," she answered, closing the office door behind her. "I wanted to surprise you."

"That's a nice surprise," he said, getting up from his chair. "But...I told you to stay at home. You shouldn't be out now." Gently he led her over to the near couch to let her sit down.

Lindsay rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, come on. I'm pregnant, Danny. You're a little too protective, don't you think? I'm fine, really. Do you have an idea how boring it is to stay at home all day? I have nothing to do and it's driving me crazy."

Danny looked back at her, a soft, warm smile on his face. She knew he understood her. But he couldn't help his concern and the fact that he indeed was overprotective from time to time.

"I'm sorry you had a boring day," he said, giving her a gentle kiss. "I'd love to be around you all day. Right now I'd feel much more relieved when I knew you were at home instead of somewhere out there in the city though. If you're so bored, maybe I could call you every hour or so?"

"I don't think that'll help," she answered. She wanted to say more, but stopped when she felt a sudden pain rushing through her body. "Ouch."

"You alright, Montana?" Danny asked, his voice revealing he was already on alert the moment he discovered she obviously was in pain.

"Yes, it's just...oh, wait," she managed to say, squeezing her eyes shut again in pain.

"What's wrong?" he wanted to know, concern clearly audible in his voice.

After an endlessly long minute, she managed to open her eyes again, looking up at him. "I think I just got into labour," she answered between clenched teeth.

Lindsay didn't have to explain more; Danny already expected this answer. Giving her a quick kiss, he got up from the couch, already grabbing his cell to call an ambulance. When she had decided to go to the lab, she had already expected something was going on. She couldn't deny she was glad she had come though; at least he was there to support her now.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Thank you so much for the sweet reviews!**

Lindsay was sitting in her hospital bed, looking down at the small bundle she was holding in her arms. She was more than exhausted, hardly able to keep her eyes open after being in labour for almost 24 hours.

Now all the pain, all the exhaustion, all the fears and doubts didn't matter anymore. Now she was sitting in this bed, holding this tiny little person in her arms, waiting for Danny to return with something to drink he had wanted to get for her.

Totally amazed, she couldn't stop staring at the little one. Their baby girl. Until the birth, Danny and Lindsay had fought hard against their urge to find out whether they were going to have a girl or boy. They wanted to be surprised. And they had been surprised.

Until the birth, Lindsay had avoided to ask Danny what he would prefer; a boy or girl. She herself didn't really care about it; all she had wanted was it being healthy. And then their baby girl had been born. She had seen the awe on Danny's face when he had been allowed to hold their little daughter for the very first time. She knew exactly what had been going on in his mind; she was thinking exactly the same right now. This little baby was their child, their baby girl, and both of them were determined to protect her, to always do everything to make her happy and let her feel she was loved.

Watching the baby now, Lindsay could feel the strong love rising inside her again. A love only parents could feel for their child. A love that was so strong that she wished she would be allowed to hold her in her arms forever.

"Hey baby girl," she whispered softly when the baby opened her sparkling blue eyes again, looking up at her mother sleepily. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

Once again, like so many times before during the last couple of hours, she felt tears rising in her eyes again. Tears of joy. Lindsay still couldn't believe what was happening around her. She could clearly remember how she had felt when she had found out she was pregnant. She could remember how shocked she had been, how scared that nothing would work, that Danny would change his mind, would run away, leave her alone, not able to handle this situation.

Now everything had come completely different. During all those months her boyfriend had shown her how much he truly loved her, how much he cared about her. He had been at her side, had supported her. They had planned it together; moved in together, prepared everything for the baby. And all the time he had made sure she knew he was at her side. And loved it.

"Do you have the slightest idea how much your Daddy and I love you, sweetie?" she asked, trying to blink her tears away but without any success. She was overwhelmed; overwhelmed by her strong feelings for her little family.

She looked up when she heard how the door was opened and Danny entered the room again. His expression instantly changed the moment he saw her tears, quickly making his way over to the bed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked concerned. "Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing, really," she answered, smiling at him. "I just...it's possibly the hormones. I...still can't believe this is actually happening."

Danny smiled relieved. "I know what you're talking about. I'm feeling the same way." Smiling warmly, he looked down at their baby, who had managed to open her eyes completely now, looking up at her parents.

"She's so beautiful," he said quietly.

"She is," Lindsay replied. Her tears had stopped again. Danny was half sitting, half lying next to her now, one arm resting around her shoulder. A wonderful comforting feeling started to spread inside of her, calming her down again. "But she also still needs a name."

"Yeah," Danny agreed, sighing. "That's the disadvantage of us not finding out if it'll be a girl or boy earlier. Then we could have concentrated on looking into a special direction for a name."

Looking at him, she playfully raised her eyebrows. "Do you think we would have been able to choose a name then?"

Shaking his head, Danny laughed. "Possibly not." Turning his attention back to the baby, he added, "So, what are we going to do now? I don't want her to be called 'baby girl' all the time. And I don't want us to need six weeks to come up with a name for her. Like Sheldon's parents did with him."

Lindsay chuckled. Hawkes' parents had needed six weeks to decide how to name baby Sheldon. No, they didn't want their daughter to stay nameless for such a long time.

"What about the suggestions we already had?" she asked. "Do you still have your list?"

Nodding, Danny reached into one of his jeans pockets, pulling out a carefully folded piece of paper. "Okay, here we go. We had Isabella for example."

Looking at the baby, Lindsay shook her head. "This doesn't fit to her. She's no Isabella."

"Then what about Amy?" Danny suggested. Looking down at the baby himself, he shook his head. "Doesn't fit either. Lily?"

"No, she's no Lily," Lindsay said. "Why don't you just read all the names? If we hear one that fits to her we stop."

Danny nodded. "Alright. We also have Hannah, Angela, Sally, Sarah, Kathy. That's it already." He looked at Lindsay again. "You don't like any of them, do you?"

"Not at all," Lindsay replied, smiling excusing. "I know, we came up with those names, but...they just don't fit to her. I don't want to give her a name just so she has one. She has to live with this name and I want it to fit to her."

Danny nodded. "I agree with you on that. But right now I really don't know...what about Montana?" When he saw the look she gave him, he quickly added, "Okay, it was just a suggestion. But I have another idea. Why don't we ask the others? Maybe they can come up with something."

"Yeah, maybe," Lindsay said. "Better than giving her a name that doesn't fit." Gently she stroked over the baby's cheek. "Don't worry, sweetheart, we'll find a nice name for you."

"Yeah, but until the others arrive here, I'd suggest we relax a bit. The last hours have been hard, especially for the two of you," Danny told her.

Lindsay nodded in response. Sighing lightly, she leant back against Danny while he held her tighter against him. In awe they watched their little baby daughter. The last few hours had been exhausting, the last few months had been exciting. Now there was only space for one feeling left; happiness.

**Preview: The next chapter will be the last chapter of this story. How will they call the baby?**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! This is the last chapter of this story. Thanks for all the wonderful feedback. Thanks for adding it to your favourites and alerts. Oh, and LME, this chapter is for you. ;)**

"Oh, I think she's the cutest little baby I've ever seen before," Stella said when she was handed the baby. "Such a sweetheart! And the perfect mix of her parents."

Danny and Lindsay exchanged a brief glance, both smiling. Once again Lindsay could feel the comfortable warmth rising inside her which she had already experienced so many times before lately. The whole team was there, standing around the hospital bed now. Mac, Stella, Adam, Flack and Hawkes; all of them were there, all of them smiling happily for their two friends who were lying in the hospital bed together, holding hands. When she had come to New York, Lindsay had never imagined to experience a moment like this. She had even been scared she wouldn't be able to make friends. Now she was part of this family and had just created her own one.

"So, did you agree on a name already?" Hawkes wanted to know.

"Not really," Danny answered.

Flack chuckled. "No? How come? Didn't you have enough time to think about something? Although I can understand it. You had to look for both, a boy's and a girl's name. So, which choices do you have?"

"That's the problem," Lindsay replied. "We don't have any. We had some, but they're just not fitting to her. Now we need a new name, but we have no idea."

"So she'll be called baby girl for a while," Stella said, still not able to tear her eyes away from the tiny bundle in her arms.

"I was actually hoping we'd come up with something soon," Lindsay said. "I don't want her to be nameless."

"But at least on one thing we agreed," Danny announced. Smiling at Lindsay, he waited for the permission to say what else they had been talking about before. When she nodded, he turned towards Mac and said, "Lindsay and I would be happy if you agreed to be the godfather."

Amused Lindsay noticed how Mac blushed. Since she was working for him, she had never seen her boss blush. It was the first time and she thought it was nice to see her boss showing some emotions at the suggestion.

"I would love to be her godfather," he said then, a smile on his face while his eyes clearly revealed how touched he was by their decision. His smile widened when Stella handed the baby over to him.

"Perfect. Now she has a godfather. Just about the name the two of you have to decide now," Stella said.

"Oh, if you have any suggestions, we would love to hear them," Lindsay replied, smirking at her friend. She knew Stella had often asked her why the two of them didn't want to know whether they'd have a boy or girl, because it'd be easier to decide for a name. She also had found Stella looking through books with baby names more than once. She knew how excited her friend had been for her and that secretly she had even been thinking about names for the little one.

And she was right. "But I think you two should decide," she answered.

"That's what we'll do," Danny said. "But still you can tell us what you have in mind."

"Come on, Stella," Flack said, winking at her. "That's an honour. Maybe their first child will have the name you chose. Spill it."

Now it was Stella's time to blush. "Okay," she answered then. "There is one I've always been thinking about. I always liked Lian."

"Lian. I think that's indeed a nice name," Mac agreed, handing the half asleep baby back to her parents.

Danny and Lindsay's attention turned back to their daughter, who had closed her eyes now, snuggling against her mother's chest.

"Lian," Lindsay repeated the name, watching the child while speaking it out. Looking up at Danny, a smile lit her face. "That's her name. It fits to her."

To her relief she found her boyfriend smiling back at her. "Absolutely. She's definitely a Lian."

When Lindsay looked up at Stella again, she found her friend blushing bright red, a huge smile on her face. Like Flack had said it; for her it was an honour she had been allowed to choose the baby's name, something she had silently wished for but never dared to hope for.

But for Lindsay it was the perfect way to show their friends how much of a family they were for her, something that would never stop to amaze her.

---------

A long while later, the team had left the couple and the child alone in the hospital room again. The little girl was still lying in Lindsay's arm while Danny was still lying in bed next to her, his head resting against her shoulder while one arm was wrapped around her. She didn't know if there had ever been a moment when she had felt comfortable like this. She was together with the man she loved and holding their child, who finally had a name now. Could there be a moment that could be more perfect than that?

"Are you happy with her name now?" Danny asked after a while.

Lindsay nodded. "I think Lian is perfect for her."

"That's true," Danny agreed, chuckling. "Did you see? Mac and Stella, both blushing. It's not something you usually get to see."

"Yes," Lindsay replied. "And it also doesn't happen often that your colleagues turn out to be your family."

She felt how Danny adjusted his position a bit until he was able to look at her face. She felt herself blushing again at his gaze and when her eyes met his, her heart started to beat faster at the warmth and love she found in them.

"There happened a lot since you decided to come to New York, right?" he asked softly.

Lindsay nodded. She didn't know why but his question caused almost overwhelming feelings to rise inside her.

"I clearly remember this day when I arrived here," she said. "Do you remember, my first day when I was lost because I didn't remember how to get back to my apartment? It was you who took me back home."

Danny chuckled. "Oh yeah, I remember that. I also remember this date you had. This guy who didn't get you weren't interested in him. And how I played your boyfriend to make him get it."

Smiling, Lindsay nodded. "Yes. And all the other things that happened. It didn't take us long to get together. And it also didn't take long until we fell in love with each other." With a glance at Lian, she added, "And until I got pregnant."

"Do you regret everything happened so quickly?" Danny wanted to know.

Looking at him, Lindsay thought about his question for a moment. Would she have liked if everything had taken more time? If she had kept on dating random guys until she'd have realised who she really wanted? Would she have rather liked to wait? Actually the answer was easy.

"No, not at all," she answered. "I knew everything would change when I came to New York. And this is what happened. I found wonderful friends. I found a man who I really love and who I know loves me back. And I have my own little family now. Do I think more time should have passed? No. Why? Of course I wasn't prepared for everything and there's still a lot we have to do. But I know I can do that, because I know we're doing it together. I'm happy with how everything is now and I wouldn't want it to be any different."

She saw how a relieved smile lit Danny's face at her answer. "That's good to know. I wouldn't want it to be any different either."

He bent down to her, kissing her onto her forehead softly. "I love you, Lindsay."

"I love you, too, Danny," she replied, kissing him back.

Then Lindsay rested her head back against his shoulder and Danny closed his arm around her more tightly. When she looked back at Lian, she found the baby looking back up at her parents with her big, blue eyes. Once again the familiar warmth spread inside her. When she had come to New York, she had never expected how much would happen during the next months. Now she was part of the lab family, was together with a man who was her great love and was holding their daughter in her arms. A lot had happened in no time and people would possibly tell her she should have slowed down. But she didn't care. She was happy. They were happy. And that was everything that was important.


End file.
